Home Again
by A pink lady
Summary: When Mirai Trunks’ last reason to live is taken away from him, he is left with a decision. Will he just give up, or will he get himself a reason to live, and even if he does, would the wounds left ever start to heal? Is he the only one suffering? AU
1. Chapter 1

Authors Notes: This will probably be the only DBZ fic I'll ever write, and its all about my fav character, future Trunks. Its pretty angsty, more so than on the show, and its a story concentrating on his struggles, as well as Gohan's. Trunks will also have a little romance.... I hope you like it, and please leave a review!

"It's falling apart, but its still home!"**

Mirai Trunks jumped out of the time machine and rushed towards the very familiar house, a large grin gracing his features. He couldn't wait to tell his mother everything that had happened since he had last saw her! He missed seeing his mother smile and he meant _really_ smile and he hoped that his recent news would give her a reason to smile. But Trunks knew that it would all be over soon, and once he had defeated the Androids and Cell, perhaps life would look up for them and all of them would be able to move on.

"Mum! I'm home!"

He frowned and looked around, not able to sense his mother anywhere in the area. Perhaps she had gone out for a bit of fresh air. Usually he was the one to go out and get the food, it was much safer. A sudden surge of guilt bubbled up in him, but he pushed it down. She would be fine. He allowed a smile to grace his lips. He was back to his mother again, the only thing Trunks truly had left that he could call his own. Trying to sense her energy would be useless- she wasn't strong enough to be noticeable from a distance, particularly at her age and state. She may have the fighting spirit that kept Trunks from losing faith, but years of living in hiding had taken a toll on her body.

"Mum!" He called out again. Perhaps she was in a recently made machine, working away at it like she usually does, another source of hope for this desolate world. He trotted over to the lab, his footsteps echoing. There was no sign of her. He couldn't help but get slightly worried. Something _really_ didn't feel right. He flicked on the TV, welcoming the familiar sound.

"Well, seeing as I'm here, I might as well take a crack at the Androids," Trunks said out loud to himself. It felt strange, it being so silent. It had never been so silent, not in this timeline and definitely not in the other one.

Trunks quickly scribbled down a note for his mother in case he missed her when he left, glancing at the television and making a mental note at where the latest android activity was at the same time. _ I'm back mum. I'll be back soon. I love you. Trunks. _He finished the note with a flourishing, elaborate signature, just to prove it was really him, and pinned it on the wall.Taking one last glance around the room, he raised his power and then flew off out the door he arrived through, a rush of anticipation flooding him. He had waited for this moment for so long... a time when he would be able to beat the Androids. He would definitely be able to beat them now and he would avenge all of those who they had ruthlessly murdered. Then Cell would be next. The nightmare would be over forever.

_This will be for you, mother, and you Gohan_. He thought, clenching his fists. _I will not fail again._

But somehow, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong. It crawled under his skin and sapped through him like a slow affecting poison. Ignoring it, he continued to speed on, with a sense renewed vigour as he thought, once he was finished, he could go back to his mother and he would tell her everything, and he would feel like he was where he belonged again.

----------

"Hello again."

Trunks' voice was cool as he touched down on the floor softly, interrupting their bickering.

"Oh look 18, it's that punk again. I didn't think you'd come and try to face us again, you know you cannot win," the Android known as 17 said. 18 turned and looked at him for a moment, not appearing to seem very interested.

"Oh, well, it should be a bit more interesting killing him than what we've been doing lately. It bores me, just blowing up things," 18 said, a flicker of interest highlighting her cold features.

"You won't be killing anymore when I'm done with you," Trunks said. The twins laughed, the sound was cruel and mocking, stirring anger from deep inside him.

"Like you puny kid could ever defeat us. You've never so much as touched us before," 17 said, glancing at 18. "Come on 18, let's finish him once and for all."

"Yeah, come on. Too bad, he's quite cute," 18 said, smirking.

"Funny, I can't remember how many times you've said that, and never been able to," Trunks said. Her last remark made his skin creep, but he would never show it.

"We were just having a little fun back then, but now we're bored of you... HAAA!"

The Androids charged towards him but Trunks remained unflinching. When 18 threw a punch at him, he dodged with ease threw a lazy punch back that hit her squarely in the cheek. Perhaps he would have a little fun first, show them how it felt to be all those people, to feel so helpless... to feel like him.

"That was a bad mistake kid," 18 snarled, a definite mark on her cheek. Trunks smirked as he dodged 17's attack just as easily as his twins. He could have laughed at the simplicity of their movements as they began to try and hit him again. A minute later, the two Androids moved away from him, hovering parallel to him. They were breathing heavily, their dead eyes suddenly filled with hatred and maybe it was just Trunks' imagination, but also a flicker of fear.

"How... how have you gotten this strong? You were nothing, _nothing_ to us before," 17 said, clenching his fists.

"Well I-"

Trunks froze as he saw a familiar hint of blue hair on the ground. Forgetting momentarily that he was fighting the androids, he quickly lowered himself to the floor. He gasped and staggered backwards, staring at a body. No. The bright blue hair was unmistakeable, even without being able to see her face. A heavy weight sunk to the bottom of his stomach and it sat there, clenching at ripping at his insides.

"No..." Trunks whispered, rushing over to the body. "No... it can't be!"

He scooped the body into his lap and turned her round, a sense of dread washing over him. His stomach dropped as a familiar pair of blue eyes stared back at him or rather, past him.

"No...no mum... please....no!"

Every ounce of the self control he had possessed washed away in the storm of tears. It didn't matter that he was in the middle of a battle field. It didn't matter two deadly androids were watching him. All that mattered was that his mother was dead and he wasn't there to save her. She was dead. He couldn't believe it. Grief poured over him, but was soon replaced with fury as he heard two sets of laughter from above.

"So you knew this pathetic human. What a shame," 18 said tauntingly. Trunks couldn't stand it any longer. He wasn't just going to play with them any longer. Not after this. He didn't care about that anymore. He just wanted to destroy them. He wanted them dead. Placing a kiss on the cold forehead of his mother he picked her up and took her over to the side of the road and placed her gently down on the grass. He gently closed his mothers eyelids, unable to bear her eyes open anymore.

"I'm sorry mum... I'm so sorry.... I love you," he whispered, staring at his mother for one more moment as the anger bubbled up inside of him. They were the ones that did this and they were going to pay.

"Touching, don't you think 18?" 17 said as he touched back down to earth. 18 smirked in agreement. "She was easy to finish off.... like a fly or something. Too bad you missed it 18. It was fun. She started yapping on about some guys we beat years ago and _you_, now I remember. Much quieter now."

"How dare you!"

At this point, Trunks lost all control and instantly transformed into a Super Saiyan, the energy crackling inside of him. No more messing around. He immediately charged forward and drove his fist through the male's stomach, a sense of satisfaction as he choked out a ragged breath and doubled over. Trunks pounded him over and over, pouring out all of his fury and rage into his kicks and punches. Even when 18 joined in, Trunks just batted her away with a few sharp few punches in the face and stomach, reeling her backwards in agony. He was going to finish her off next, after he was done with the male Android.

"This- is- for- my- mother!" Trunks spat through punches. He could tell that the Android couldn't fight back any longer, his strength was too much. If only he had gotten here sooner, maybe he could have... he transferred that anger through even more intense punches.

"Stop!"

"What's the matter?" Trunks taunted her. "Scared?"

18's eyes were widened slightly, her fists clenched. He looked down at 17, who was bleeding heavily and only semi conscious, barely managing to stay in the air. He was still breathing, but barely. _Maybe I should continue this, prolong the agony...._

His mother's calm, kind face entered his head and he knew that it wouldn't be what she wanted. She wouldn't want him to end it like this. Glaring at the limp body, he threw it in from of him. He raised a hand, his fingers splayed out and sent an energy blast directly at the Android, the noise from the blast drowning out the scream from 18. Then he fluidly charged forward through the smoke, snatched out his sword, and sliced the remaining parts of the android into pieces.

"No... You... you destroyed him!" 18 shouted, staring desolately at what was left of 17.

"Now it's your turn," Trunks said in a low voice, powering up slightly. "But maybe, before I kill you, you should think about what you've done to these innocent people, who never tried to hurt you. You killed them without any regret, no thoughts about their families, that they deserve to live!"

Before 18 was even able to react, before she even moved the scowl from her face, Trunks shot forward, driving his knee directly into her jaw. As she cried in pain, he raised his hand up again and destroyed her in one blast, never looking away. Then he raised his other palm and threw smaller blasts at her over and over again until he was sure she was dead. He lowered his power level until he was no longer a Super Saiyan and lowered himself to the floor. He rushed over the body of his mother.

"I did it mum, I beat them.... it's over... the Androids..." he murmured, pulling his mother close to him. He didn't move from that spot for a while, not even when people came out of hiding to thank him for saving them, not even when the sun set, staining the sky red. It was only when the depths of night started to creep in that he finally carried his mother's body to the house alone.

-------

The funeral was small. Few came, everyone else was dead. ChiChi and her father were there, as were Oolong and Master Roshi, but Trunks didn't speak to them. Any conversations started with him were ended prematurely; only giving short, one word answers. He didn't feel much like talking. He didn't cry. On some level, it still didn't feel real. He couldn't accept that his mother was really gone, he still expected her to be at home with a cup of tea and a smile. It wasn't how it was meant to end. It wasn't meant to just be him, it was meant to be him and his mother to rebuild a life. It wasn't _fair_.

When everyone left he was alone by his mothers graveside. For hours, he just sat staring at her tombstone, tracing the words with his finger. He felt cold inside, his heart heavy and his senses dulled. The same thoughts ran over and over again. He may have saved the world from the Androids, but he had failed to save his own mother.

_I can't stop now, I can't give in.... I need to still beat Cell... then it'll all be over. The last threat to earth will be finished..._ Trunks thought desperately, as his body started to ache from the lack of food and sleep. He clung to that one thread of thought, that one thing that was in between him being consumed by grief. Much later, he slowly got to his feet and retreated back to the house, collapsing on his bed. It took hours before he fell into a restless sleep, only to awake every few hours to the face of his dead mother endlessly looking, yet never seeing, her skin as pale as the moon.

He could barely stand the silence the next morning. He ate in silence, not caring what the food was, not caring for the taste. His mind was only on Cell and his mother. After getting ready, he walked to the front door, at a sudden loss at where Cell could be. He looked around, half expecting Cell to just turn up. As if he'd be so lucky. Perhaps taking a walk might give him a few ideas.

The weeks passed, and nothing. Trunks occasionally turned onto the news, sometimes to hear stories of reunited families after the end of the Android's, sometimes to hear news of a mysterious new way of killing going round, only clothes left. People were still living in fear that the Android's were coming. But every time, he was just a minute too late. Every new death weighed heavily on Trunks' chest.

Wait.... what's that?

Trunks was in the sitting room, nursing a cup of tea and keeping his focus on the television when he heard a noise coming from the other room. In the direction at where the time machine was. It was him. The green freak. Actually calling him a green freak was an insult to all Namek's. He was more like an overgrown, mutated green grasshopper. Yes it was definitely Cell, there was no mistaking it. He smirked, quite glad to see him. He could be rid of him, and it would all be over. Now this, this would be for Goku.

"Hello Cell. Nice to see you again."

The creature known as Cell swung round, looking shocked. His eyes focused on Trunks.

"How do you know who I am? Never matter, my data says that you're weak. It doesn't matter," Cell said.

"I know a lot about you, Cell. You were going to sneak into my time machine weren't you? You're more of a creep than I thought you were," Trunks retorted angrily, powering up a little.

"Stupid boy, you think you can beat me?" Cell said, laughing.

"Yeah, I do actually," Trunks said confidently. "You're weak in this form. Oh did I forget to mention, I've already destroyed your precious Androids. There's not even enough left of them for you to suck up in that weird tail of yours. It's over Cell."

Cell looked undeniably shocked, but he maintained a smirk. Only just.

"You're bluffing. You're not nearly powerful enough to beat them."

"Oh really?"

Deciding to stop beating around the bush, Trunks let out an almighty yell and transformed.

"I'll challenge you to a bet. If you beat me, you can have my time machine," Trunks said, starting to rise in the air. He pointed his thumb in the direction where he knew was empty land.

"Fine, I'll beat you, and then go back in time and-"

"Yeah, I know what you'd do, I don't need you to bore me with your little story," Trunks said. "Lets get this over with. We'll fight over there!"

Then the two fighters flew over in that direction. Trunks didn't want any harm to go to his house, or the machine. It was safer somewhere secluded, even though he knew Cell wouldn't last long. He was merely in his first stage, and hadn't got much strength from innocents... it would be an easy fight.

The fight didn't last long. Trunks drew it out for a while, allowing Cell to get in a few punches, all in all it lasted a grand total of about two minutes, before he blasted him to oblivion. Every last bit of him was disintegrated in a light so blinding it stung even Trunks' eyes. Quick and easy.

Immediately after the last of Cell faded away and Trunks was sure he was gone for good, he flew back to his house and collapsed on the sofa. Not that he was tired, but due to the realisation that it was really over. They were really all gone. The monsters that had made his life a living nightmare, had finally been destroyed and earth was given a new dawn. He always knew that in the end, nightmares would have to end. As he lay on the sofa, looking out the window at the sky clear of smoke and destruction, he was suddenly hit by a startling revelation.

What now?

All he had been gearing towards, fought for years for, had been done. Every fibre of his being had been focused on defeating the Androids, and more recently, Cell. But it was all over now. It was done. Trunks had nothing left to do. Nothing. Earth would recover, and be at peace. He was all alone. People would find their lives again. He had no-one. What was he going to do? Then a dreaded thought seeped into his consciousness, even as he tried to fight it. _What's the point of living now? If I died, would anyone even notice? Would anyone even care?_

Over the following couple of months, Trunks wasn't sure exactly how long, he didn't keep much track on time, he spend his time training in the mountains. His house was only used for changing clothes, occasionally sleeping in and getting washed at. He visited the graveyard daily, spending a good portion of the day with his mother and seeing the other fighters too, informing her of his training and his 'new goal.' His new goal was to carry on training, to protect earth from future threats seeing as he was the last one left to do so. He didn't return to the past and tell them of Cell and the Androids defeat, because if he did, he felt he might not have the willpower to return.

Even though earth was at peace, Trunks was at war with himself. Many people thought he had died, having not have seen him for a long time, but were busy rebuilding their own lives to care much of his own.

In many ways, he had.

**That line was taken directly from the anime


	2. Chapter 2

Author Notes: Here's the second chapter... sorry its a bit slow. Let me know what you think and please stick with me. More will happen soon.

--------------------------

The second anniversary of Trunks' defeat of the Androids and the death of Trunks' mother was rolling in and for the first time in a very long time, Trunks chose to stay in the house for a while. It was sort of like showing a silent sound of respect to his mother. As he began to walk silently into the sitting room he paused, fumbled in a draw and pulled out a very familiar capsule. As he opened the capsule, a nostalgic smile grew on his face as the time machine appeared in front of him, the words his mother had scrawled onto it many years ago still prominent on the side. Hope. Something Trunks hadn't felt in a long time.

"Mum, why couldn't you be here to guide me? I need you," he whispered, and unbidden tear sliding down his cheek. Frequently, Trunks' mind had wondered to the alternative past he had helped saved and he yearned to go back once again. It was ironic, last time he was there he wanted nothing more than to return. But things had changed and he felt as if he had lost something along the way. Looking at the time machine one more time, Trunks shook his head and then popped it back into its capsule. Going back to the train of thought he was at before getting distracted, he began to walk towards a draw in the sitting room. As usual, he pulled out a pen and paper and began to write, suspending the pen momentarily on his lip as he thought about what to say. Finally, he put his pen to paper and began to write.

_Hey Mum,_

_I'm sorry I haven't written in a while- its been nearly a week hasn't it? I've been very busy training, but I know that is no excuse. I've been using some of the techniques I saw my father use more now. It was strange at first, but fine now. That's about it on my life right now, its just as it always is. I still miss you mum. I still think sometimes that I'll come home from training and you'll be there, or I'll wake up after knocking myself unconscious up there to think that you'd be there next to me, but you're not. I'm just stuck on the cold floor, entirely too tired to think properly. That's probably why; I'm half delusional in that state. I try not to do that very often though, I know you wouldn't approve. I'm not going to lie to you... I've been tempted by the Time Machine again. It would be so easy just to go back... but I can't. My place is here, with you, even if you're no longer in this dimension anymore. I wish that Piccolo was still around... then I could have wished you back. But there's no use living on what-ifs, there's so many of them. But I'm okay, I'm still breathing. I thought that seeing Gohan dead would be the worst thing I would ever had to experience, but like many times before, I was wrong. I miss you so much mum. I love you._

_Your son,_

Trunks

Trunks wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and frowned slightly at the quite short letter. Ever since her death, he had been writing these letters addressed to her, even though he knew she could never read them. He sighed and placed his pen on the table. He re-read the letter and then folded it up, putting it carefully in a draw with all of the others. Perhaps he would have a nap, it might restore some of his energy. He pulled off his jacket, tossed it aside and went to his bed, hoping to fall into a dreamless sleep.

Sleep did come, sooner than expected. He knew he was in the dream world instinctively as soon as the world came into focus in his mind. It was all very green, and when he squinted, he thought he could see a river in the distance. Where is this place? It was oddly peaceful. And empty.

"Hello Trunks."

Or so he thought. The voice sent jars into Trunks, so familiar yet different at the same time. He was frozen to the spot, half scared to turn round in case it turned out to be an illusion and he would be facing empty air.

"Hey kiddo, I'm talking to you," the voice said cheerfully, light and dancing. Trunks shut his eyes and swung round. After a moment, he dared to open his eyes.

"Mum?"

Before Trunks could control himself, he hurled himself at the woman and hugged her, clinging to her like a small child would. She smelt like she always did, of strawberries and some sort of oil. She smelt of home.

"Hello to you too," she said, returning the hug warmly.

"How....when... why..."

Trunks' voice was muffled by his mother's shirt; he was unwilling to let go of her just yet in case she faded away.

"Hey, its alright," Bulma said reassuringly, gently prying herself from Trunks' iron grip. "You okay?"

Trunks nodded his head and smiled at his mother. Then he just stared at her, drinking up her every feature, her smile, the way her eyes lit up.... his memories of her had began to dim, became soft around the edges.

"I've missed you mum," Trunks said finally, his voice trembling.

"I've missed you too," Bulma said, smiling in a way Trunks wasn't used to seeing at all. It was free of all pain. "I love you son."

"I love you too mum. So much."

A moment or so passed after the exchange, where Trunks was just happy to look at her. Everything would be okay now his mum was there. Then her smile dropped a little.

"Trunks... I've got to talk to you about something..." Bulma said, biting her lip, a habit Trunks was used to seeing.

"I know what you've been doing over the last 2 years, since you came back. I couldn't be prouder of you, and I know that Vegeta and Gohan are proud of you too. I _know_," at the last remark, his mother winked slightly. Trunks couldn't help grin.

"Thank you mum. I couldn't have done it without you," Trunks said.

"I'm sure you didn't need old me to help you," Bulma said, waving a hand in the air as she laughed with her son. "But I really need to talk to you about what's happened to you since I've died."

All laughter that was bubbling inside of Trunks instantly evaporated. He looked away from his mother.

"I know that you want to go back Trunks. I don't understand why you don't go..." Bulma said, placing a hand on Trunks' shoulder. She didn't need to elaborate, Trunks knew exactly what she was talking about. Going back in time, to the future he helped save. Where everyone was still alive. Well, almost everyone.

"No, I can't go. I need to protect earth," Trunks said firmly.

"I think earth will be just fine. It's you we need to be worrying about," Bulma replied, his tone gentle. He instantly felt guilty about his tone the moment his mother began to speak again.

"Me? I'm fine," Trunks said. Bulma snorted.

"Don't lie to your mother, you're not. Ever since you defeated the Androids and Cell, you've lost your purpose in life... your goal... you're dying Trunks, and if you don't do something soon... you will lose yourself completely," Bulma said quietly. Trunks looked up in astonishment at his mother, only finding sincerity in her crystal blue eyes.

"But mother... what about you?"

"Oh Trunks... What about me? I'm dead, I don't matter anymore. Besides, you're the only thing I care about and I want you to be happy. You should go."

"But-"

"No buts young man, you're going and that's final. I'm your mother and I decide what's best for you, dead or alive," Bulma said sternly. Trunks couldn't help but laugh, and embraced his mother.

"Thank you..." he muttered into her hair.

"No problem... and by the way, I know they're probably going to kill me after this, figuratively speaking of course, but Gohan sends his love...."

Trunks smiled and held onto his mother closer.

"I love you mum."

I love you too son..."

Then there was a blinding flash of light, and everything was gone.

When the first dredges of consciousness awoke in him again, Trunks slowly pulled himself into the ball. He opened his eyes slowly, blinked twice and looked around. For some reason, he thought his mother would be in the room. Then the contents of the dream flooded back to him.

"Mother..." he whispered, looking at a picture on the table of her. His eyes were stinging and he felt a dull ache in his chest.

_You're dying Trunks, and if you don't do something soon... you will lose yourself..._

He shook his head. _No, I'm not dying, I'm fine_.

He flexed his muscles in his arm and sluggishly got up.

Who was he trying to fool? Himself? There was no one else apart from himself now.

In the sitting room, Trunks picked up a photo album. He couldn't remember bringing it out, but it seemed like something he would do. Sitting down, he reluctantly flicked through the pages, each page making his certainty on his decision cracking. He found after a short while, the last picture of himself and his mother. He squinted at it. He looked so young. Standing up, he compared himself to that in the picture, and himself. The contrast was unmistakable. He may have been much younger then, but now he was much paler and thinner in the face, his cheeks beginning to look hollow. His eyes had lost a sparkle that was still present in the picture, once clear as lazuli, now like murky blue pools. Purple shadows were starting to form under his eyes.

What was he doing here again? What should he do? Should he go back, on his mother's advice, and give in to his own personal want? Or would he stay here in case a new threat emerges? One that might never come?

_Be selfish for once..._

A voice echoed in his ear.

_You deserve this! You deserve to have a future with people that care about you!_

Rushing out of the house, Trunks broke out into a run, the cool air waking up all of his senses.

_You're the only thing I care about and I want you to be happy... _his mother's voice whispered in his ear.

"Okay Mum, I'll do it," Trunks whispered finally, staring up at the sky.

------------

"Okay, I've got some capsules, some food for the flight... some spare power in case it goes wrong or something... a couple of changes of outfit..."

Trunks carefully placed everything he needed into a small bag and then swung it over his shoulder. He glanced at the mirror. His hair was well past his shoulders, he hadn't bothered to cut it, nor had the guts to try now. He grinned, a ball of excitement sitting in the pit of his stomach. He was going back! He just hoped the others wouldn't mind him hanging around. If they didn't.... well Trunks didn't want to think about it. It was exhilarating; he had a goal in life again.

Before he went, he knew he would have to take one last look at the house, the rooms he grew up in, his life up until now. Since he was back, it had never felt like home anymore, and he had stopped calling it that. This world was merely his training room, and the house was just somewhere he stayed at sometimes. Afterwards, he visited his mother's grave for perhaps the last time, taking with him only a picture of himself, his mother and Gohan.

"Thank you mother, for everything. I'll never forget it. I'll never forget you. I love you," Trunks said, gazing at her grave for a moment. Then he tore his eyes away. He was ready. Pulling out the time machine and double checking the time and date, Trunks sat down comfortably in the seat like he did little over two years previously. Concentrating hard, he brought the machine back to life, feeling slightly rusty after not using it for so long. Then he felt like he was being sucked through a tiny hole, and the world was gone.

Life suddenly came back and he was in the middle of a field of green and he jumped out of the machine, popping it back into its Capsule. He decided to get to the house by foot. Trunks thought gleefully. He could see the house clearly now, he could even, if he strained, see through the window... is that? Yes it is! It was blue hair. Mother! Trunks suddenly skidded to a stop. How could he just walk in there as if nothing's happened? How could he just walk in there and talk to his mother as if... he couldn't move. Conflicting emotions overwhelmed him... on the one hand, he wanted to go in there, to see his mother, but then he didn't... he couldn't...

Trunks didn't know how long he stood there, staring. He couldn't do it. He wasn't ready to face them... to face her... yet. It was strange enough before, seeing her look so similar, yet different. He gave the house on last look, before turning on his heels and running in the opposite direction.

"I'll be back Mum, I promise." Trunks whispered to the wind, pushing down his power level to almost nonexistent levels. He would be back, when he felt he was ready, that, he was sure of. Until then, he would try and adjust to this world, to a world that never knew the true horrors of the Androids and all of the misery they could have caused on his own.


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Notes: Sorry for the wait... I've got exams and stuff going on at the moment. I hope you like this chapter, please leave a comment to let me know if what I'm writing is actually somewhat good and I'm not just writing useless drivel... I'll be updating soon! X **

* * *

_Blue, dead eyes. haunting. Sneering. A single, flawless hand was raised, pointing directly at him. He couldn't move, he couldn't even manage to rip his eyes away from the horror in front of him. Laughter was drowning his ears, digging into the very depths of his bones and ripping at the substance beneath. A bright, blinding light was emitted from the outstretched finger, forming into a small, but obviously lethal ball. He was frozen, unable to move._

_No..._

_The ball grew and grew, and suddenly, it was shooting towards him and he couldn't move..._

"NO!"

Trunks jumped up, staring angrily around. Sweat was dripping off him and his heart was pounding so hard it was painful. His eyes darted around for a moment before he realised it was just a dream. Slowly, he relaxed back, heaving a heavy sigh. It was the first time in months he had had a nightmare, but they were still just as terrible. Reluctantly he sat back up and ran a hand through his hair. He had been in the past for little over a week and he still hadn't mustered up the courage to see his mother, or anyone else for that matter. He had thought of visiting Gohan, but he knew that Gohan would tell his mother. Shaking his head, he began to walk towards the bathroom in the mobile home he had brought with him in a capsule.

After getting ready, Trunks decided to go and do his normal exercise regime, or at least the one had been growing accustomed to in the last week, he couldn't do much in case his power led anyone to him before he was ready. He was stationed at the moment near a dark cave. He rummaged through his pocket and popped the 'house' back into his capsule, and then begun. He wasn't even two minutes in when he heard someone touch down on earth and he slowly turned around. A full minute passed as he just stared at the person in front of him. Then finally, with a cool voice, he spoke.

"Hello father."

"What are you doing here, kid? I thought you went back to the future two years ago?" Vegeta said, a familiar snarl twisting his face. He didn't look at all different to how he was two years ago, he was even wearing the same armour.

"Well, I changed my mind," Trunks replied.

"Don't tell me some more blasted androids have come back or something," Vegeta spat. Trunks shook his head.

"No it's nothing like that," he said. Silence ensued. "What are you doing here? How did you know I was here?"

"I sensed your energy level. How long have you been back?"

There was no sense of curiosity in his tone, just hostility

"About a week."

Once again, they fell into silence. Trunks was surprised; he didn't think he had allowed his power level to be large enough to be noticeable.

"Well I have to say I'm disappointed. I was expecting to find someone I could have killed," Vegeta said.

"No wait, you're not going to tell mum I'm here?" Trunks asked as it looked like Vegeta was ready to fly off again.

"What makes you think I would?" Vegeta replied, his eyes narrowing.

"Well... please just don't... I can't face her at the moment," Trunks said, his shoulders slumping. He turned away from his father.

"It's your mother isn't it? She's dead," Vegeta said suddenly. Trunks' head shot up and he stared at his father with wide eyes.

"How did you know?"

"I'm not stupid, why else would you come back here and not want to visit her," he said gruffly. Trunks stayed silent for a moment, and then nodded his head, concentrating on staring at a rock on the ground. He jumped as the rock exploded. He briefly felt a hand touch his shoulder, lingering for a moment. Trunks glanced over his shoulder, looking at his father who was gazing into the distance. A moment later, Vegeta removed his hand and began to fly off, pausing for a moment to look at Trunks.

"She's cooking tonight. I'm sure she wouldn't mind you eating too. The woman seems to love visitors. I might spar with you later, to see how weak you really are."

Trunks watched as his father disappeared off into the distance, the smallest of smiles pulling at the corners of his mouth. Perhaps there was hope for his father yet. He sighed, a sudden nervousness overcoming him. His father wouldn't tell anyone that he was there, but it still made him uneasy. He still wasn't sure he was ready, but at the same time, seeing his father's reaction made him feel as if he was behaving like an over-dramatic school girl.

_I just need to go and get it over with,_ Trunks thought resolutely. He picked up all of his stuff, nerves and even a hint of fear was bubbling inside of him. What would he say to... himself? Trunks shook his head. He would just have to cross that bridge when he came to it. It was going to be interesting, to say the least. Chucking his bag over his shoulder, he shot off into the distance, hoping that the sickening sense on his stomach would pass.

--------

It didn't take long before he could see Capsule Corp. He couldn't see Vegeta- Trunks had deliberately flown slower than usual. His father was probably back at the house- training, knowing him. He hadn't really talked to anyone in the flesh in over two years, he quite surprised how easy it was to talk to his father although he wasn't sure who it would be like with others. Hopefully he hadn't lost the ability to talk properly in the years of solitude. Finally, he touched down in front of Capsule Corp. _Okay breath Trunks, breath,_ he told himself, hesitating before knocking on the door. His heart beat painfully as he could hear his mother's voice screaming.

"Vegeta! Where did you fly off to? Come back here!"

Okay... now or never...

Knock. Knock.

"Oh what now, did you blow someone up or terrorise a group of innocent people again Vegeta?" the annoyed voice of his mother called.

"Stop pestering me, woman!"

Trunks couldn't help but smile slightly at his parent's exchange. He took a sharp breath in as the door opened and he was face to face with his much younger mother. Her hair was quite short and fashionably cut, she was wearing a short, blue dress. For a moment, she just stared at Trunks, and then her blue eyes widened.

"T-Trunks?"

"Hello Mum," Trunks said awkwardly. His mother just stared at him for a moment, and then totally catching Trunks off guard, threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. Shocked and almost embarrassed, he returned the warm embrace, glancing over her shoulder at his father, who made no indication that Trunks was even there.

"Oh I never thought I'd see you again!?" Bulma cried, babbling uncontrollably. Trunks patted his mothers back, not speaking. Vegeta walked out of the room, grunting and muttering something that sounded like 'stupid emotional human.' After a few moments, Bulma released Trunks from her arms and looked at Trunks up and down.

"Wow Trunks, you look older! Wow you look like you've gotten even stronger! But your face, its thinner! Haven't you been eating? You're hair is really long, if you want I'll cut it for you! Do you want me to?" she asked, her voice getting faster. Her eyes were watery. He knew that it would be best to let his mother finish her rambling and then he would talk to her properly. Trunks felt temporarily at loss for words, feeling his mother hug him in somewhere that wasn't a dream was incredible.

"I hope you don't mind me-" Trunks staggered with his words, and his mother cut of his words with a wave of her perfectly manicured hand.

"Oh don't be silly, it's great to have you back here! I missed you!" Bulma said, smiling. She seemed to have forgotten the multiple questions she had thrown at him only a moment before. "Come in, come in!"

At that, she gave Trunks a very warm smile and then turned around and walked back into the house. Trunks was suddenly filled with warmth, and in that moment, he couldn't describe it, but he felt that once again, he was _home_.

"Look who's here Vegeta its Trunks! Vegeta?" Bulma had now wandered into the other room in search for the prince, and then reappeared a moment later.

"Well, I'm sorry but I don't think you'll get much of a reaction out of Vegeta..." she trailed off, her eyes darting from where Vegeta had disappeared to and Trunks. "Wait a moment... its a bit ironic that Vegeta disappears and then comes back shortly afterwards and then you suddenly turn up..."

Her voice was a mixture of accusing and playful. Trunks let out a nervous sort of laugh and then rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well... er..."

"I knew it!" Bulma said, punching the air dramatically. "Thanks for letting me know Vegeta!"

Trunks couldn't restrain the smile forming on his lips, and suddenly wondered why he had been so worried.

"Wait... where's, erm, me?"

"Oh you? You're round ChiChi's," Bulma said.

"Why am I, is he, round ChiChi's?"

"Oh... you never knew... ChiChi's had another son, he's called Goten. Hes about a year younger than you," Bulma said. "It's a shame you never met him... he's the absolute image of Goku!"

"Wha... wow," Trunks said, blinking.

"Yeah, we all were when ChiChi told us she was pregnant... a lots changed kiddo," Bulma said, smiling. "Are you hungry?"

"I er..." Trunks paused. "Yes please!"

"If you want, I'll call the others and we can have a bit of a party, and you can meet Goten later."

"That would be great mum." He missed this life. He missed her. He even missed Vegeta, with all of his arrogance and rudeness. Even just knowing he was in the next room was enough for him. Bulma grinned at her and then hummed as she started to walk towards the kitchen. Trunks smiled slightly as he looked around the brightly lit room. The room was filled with pictures of himself, of the other Z fighters, even Vegeta. Then he saw a picture of his younger self and a smaller boy who really was the carbon copy of Goku.

"So this is Goten," Trunks muttered to himself. "Who would have guessed it? Gohan's got a little brother."

Though, as Trunks looked closer at himself, he could tell that this Trunks had a lot more Vegeta in him, or at least, personality wise. That smirk was most definitely a Vegeta smirk, already better than any he could make. Trunks sighed. He wondered how different he would be, growing up with a much freer childhood, with loads of friends and from the looks of it, a best friend. Trunks had never really had that, his best friend's had been Gohan and his mother. He couldn't ever be friends with other people or risk getting too close to them, they usually moved away after a while when the Androids appeared in the area again. Many of them even died.

"So why did you decide to come back here?" Bulma said.

"Oh I, er..." Trunks started, pausing. "I just... wasn't happy there anymore."

"I see."

"I beat the Androids and Cell though!" Trunks said with false cheerfulness.

"That's my boy. I knew you could do it," Bulma said. "You're always welcome here, you know that don't you?"

"Thank you."

"Hey women! Have you cooked anything yet!"

Bulma shook her head and frowned before shouting back, "I have a name you know and what do you say?"

Loud grumblings and mutterings erupted from the room.

"Fine _Bulma _can you cook something please_?" _

He spat out the last word like a curse.

"Wow, he must _really_ be hungry, that usually never works," Bulma muttered, a small smile growing on her face. She looked quite surprised, yet pleased at herself. Trunks crossed his hands over his chest, once again surprised at how things had changed.

"Yeah, he's probably a bit delirious as well," Trunks said, thinking back to earlier.

"It would make sense, yeah. I haven't really seen him in a few days, he's just been training and grabbing food whenever he feels hungry. He probably misses real food a bit," Bulma informed him. Then she laughed. "Not to mention, lately most of the food in the fridge right now is inedible uncooked. Or at least for humans."

Trunks knew he hadn't really eaten proper food for a while, but that was more due to his slight fear that now he was alone, he might burn the house down. He never really learnt to cook and realised after burning a pot of rice, that he would never be very good at cooking. But he never really noticed, he was usually too wrapped up in training. Perhaps it was the same for his father, he mused.

"You know, it's so nice to speak to someone other than my parents and a three year old for once," Bulma said, her expression softening. "The others hardly visit these days. I can't wait to see them all again."

"Me too," Trunks replied, glancing for a moment at the pictures on the mantelpiece. "Me too."

----------------------

"So what's this all about Bulma? All you was to come round at seven," Krillin said.

"Just be patient Krillen, wait for the others," Bulma said. "Vegeta! Put some clothes on, we've got guests!"

Vegeta, just clad in a pair of shorts, had chosen this moment to walk into Bulma's line of sight. He glanced at Bulma for a second and then just carried on walking.

"Oh never mind..." Bulma said.

"Why do I have to come home I wanna stay at Gotens!" little Trunks complained, looking sullen, crossing his small arms over his chest.

"I'm sorry honey, we can do that another day, why don't you and Goten go outside and play?" Bulma said, kneeling down until she was at eye level with her son. Trunks' bottom lip trembled- was he going to throw a tantrum?

"Trunks! Play!" Goten said, clapping his hands and rushing off. Trunks looked at his friend and then ran off after him.

"'kay!"

"Where's Gohan?" Bulma asked.

"Oh he's just coming, he was just finishing his homework...ah there he is," ChiChi said, pointing at the gold and black speck soaring towards them. Gohan quickly arrived, touching down on the ground with ease. He smiled at Bulma.

"Hi Gohan, you look well," Bulma said. "Come in!"

As the three walked into the house, Bulma thought she saw some movement from one of the rooms. Leaving the door open, she walked over there, where she found Trunks.

"You okay?"

Trunks nodded. He kept glancing round the corner of the door to the crowd of people in the living room. Trunks was never usually nervous about anything, even when he faced Cell in this timeline, and the Androids before he came back, it wasn't nerves that wracked him. This just wasn't something he was used to and he didn't like it.

"Hey don't get so worried, it's gonna be fine. We just need to wait for Yamcha to come, and that's everyone. Gohan's just arrived," Bulma said. Outside, Trunks and Goten were playing, jumping around and generally messing about, laughter apparent on their faces. Trunks also appeared to be hovering.

"He's learning to fly. Vegeta's been teaching him. He says he won't let his bloodline, the last of the Saiyans, not know how to put up a good fight."

Bulma said this with a roll of her eyes and a grin.

"How is Gohan anyway?" Trunks asked.

"He's okay, holding up. He misses his dad of course, but I think Goten's helped a lot. He's getting better," Bulma replied. Suddenly, there was an explosion of noise and laughter. Bulma peered around the door and a smile grew on her face. "Well, I think Yamcha's just turned up. He's having a friendly chat with Vegeta."

She smiled at her son and patted him on the shoulder.

"Come on kiddo, time for you to show your face again."

--------------

Trunks glanced around the corner once again, momentarily spotting the group of people he had got to know over two years ago. He quickly snapped his head back. Was the prospect of being in human contact... or at least part human contact, _that_ terrifying? What was wrong with him? He could hear their laughter, their cheering, their joking. It was alien to his ears, he hadn't heard the sound of so much laughter in over two years... he shuddered, and then felt a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" his mother asked softly. Trunks nodded, swallowed and plastered on a grin.

"Hey Bulma! What are you doing in there!" Yamcha's voice called out. Bulma turned around briefly towards the source of noise. Then she turned back to Trunks.

"You ready?"

Trunks hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. Bulma took the lead and Trunks trailed behind her.

"Hey guys, the reason I called you over here is because we have a visitor!" Bulma said. Everyone turned around to look at Bulma. She put her hands on her hips, a large smile on her face, and glanced over her shoulder, then grabbed the arm of the skulking lavender haired man.

"Hey stop trying to hide!" Bulma said. Silence ensued as Trunks appeared next to Bulma.

"Is that you Trunks?"

Trunks smiled nervously, his eyes darting to each of the shocked onlookers. Gohan was the one who had spoken and he was looking gobsmacked.

"Yeah, its me Gohan."

Gohan's shocked expression turned into one of pure joy and he laughed.

"Wow Trunks, I never thought I'd see you again!"

Gohan walked forward, smiling in a way that reminded Trunks of Goku.

"Welcome back Trunks!" Yamcha said, grinning as well. There was a rousing chorus of similar wording, and Trunks let out a small sigh of relief.

"So what's brought you back here?"

Trunks stopped and turned to face the person. It was Piccolo.

"Well, I changed my mind about staying there," Trunks said, not wishing to elaborate his point. He looked out the window, watching Goten chase Trunks across the grass. He felt an odd twinge in his stomach as he watched them play and mess around just as kids should.

"So what have I missed?" Trunks asked.

"Oh you know, the usual. We're all still training a bit. Well, Gohan isn't," Yamcha said pointedly looking at Gohan. "Not that the kid needs to!"

"Leave the kid alone, he never wants to fight. We can't force him," Piccolo said quite sharply as Gohan looked uncomfortable. Yamcha looked abashed.

"I wasn't having a go, I was just saying..." Yamcha said, trailing off. "Hey Bulma!"

Yamcha then turned and rushed off towards where Bulma and ChiChi were standing before he managed to dig himself a bigger hole.

"It's good to have you back Trunks," Tien said.

"Yeah, we've missed you," Chaozu piped up, smiling. Trunks smiled.

"Thanks, I've missed you guys as well," Trunks admitted.

"You've gotten stronger as well since we last saw you," Piccolo observed.

"So have you," Trunks replied. Piccolo nodded his head in thanks.

"So Gohan, what's it like having a brother?" Trunks asked.

"Oh it's great, Goten's just like dad..."

"Trunks! Stop cheating! Stop flying away, its not fair!"

"Oh don't be such a baby Goten!"

Trunks paused and glanced at the doorway- Bulma had opened it, and the voices of the two demi Sayian's that had came into the room. Trunks raised an eyebrow and his mouth curled into a smile. He ignored the feeling in his gut at hearing them laughing and playing. He never had a chance to have such a childhood.

"Hey, earth to Trunks?"

Trunks blinked and then turned his attention back to the boy in front of him.

"Sorry Gohan, I got a little sidetracked..." Trunks said. Gohan smiled at him.

"Oh don't worry about it," he replied. "So what are you planning to do now you're back?"

"I don't know yet really," Trunks admitted. "I haven't really thought that much into the future."

"Well Bulma looks happy," Gohan said. "It must get frustrating only having Vegeta for company! Dont know how she puts up with him!"

"Yeah, well I think mums happy with dad, even though he gets on her nerves a lot. How's schoolwork?"

"Its okay, I guess. Mum was determined to make me catch up as soon as possible after beating Cell. I did ages ago, its not too bad," Gohan said.

"I wouldn't be able to do it Gohan," Trunks replied. Gohan smiled.

"Thanks. So have you met your younger self yet?" Gohan asked. Trunks shook his head.

"Maybe we should go and introduce you!" Gohan proclaimed.

"I don't know..."

"Oh don't worry about it, Trunks'll be fine!"

Trunks allowed Gohan to pull him by the arm out to the front of the house.

"Goten! Trunks! Can you come here for a minute please!"

Two children quickly rushed over to the two of them, both seeming slightly breathless. Trunks was sporting a slightly annoyed yet unconcerned expression, and Goten was smiling hugely.

"What Gohan? Have you got present?" Goten asked excitedly, jumping up and down.

"No, I want to introduce you to someone," Gohan started. He paused and glanced over his shoulder, where Bulma had joined them. "I'd like to introduce you to someone who helped us a lot in the past. Its a future you, Trunks. Or at least, a future you which would have been you if he hadn't come back and changed it."

Gohan started to chuckle a bit and rubbed at the back of his neck, hoping he hadn't confused the children too much. The two children just stared blankly for a second. Goten looked confused and little Trunks was staring at future trunks with a shocked expression.

"You're me?" Trunks said quietly, his bottom lip trembling. Not sure what to do, future Trunks squatted down to eye level, a tentative smile on his face.

"Hello," future Trunks said softly. "I hope you don't mind me staying round here a bit."

Little Trunks frowned, not tearing his eyes from future Trunks, observing his features that were so like his own.

"You look strong," little Trunks said. Future Trunks laughed.

"Yeah, I like to think I'm quite strong," Future Trunks said, trying to ignore the feeling of utter bizarreness as he stared at the face of himself. He remembered looking at pictures of himself as a child; it felt as if he was in one of those pictures. There was a slight frown on his younger self's face as if trying to work out a particularly hard puzzle.

"Stronger than dad?" little Trunks asked. Future Trunks hesitated for a moment, his mind wondering back to the Cell games. He could quite possibly be stronger than him, although he didn't know how much training his father had undergone over the last two years. An extensive amount, knowing him.

"No, not quite. Dads a very strong and brave fighter," Future Trunks said. Little Trunks smiled a little. "I'm not too bad though."

"It'll be like having a big brother like me Trunks!" Goten proclaimed. Future Trunks raised an eyebrow in amusement. Being a big brother to himself. That's not something that happens in everyday life.

"Why don't you two go off and play, I don't want me to interrupt your fun," Future Trunks said as he noticed that Goten was starting to get distracted.

"Yeah... okay.... Goten, let's play tag!"

Future Trunks watched as his younger counterpart and his mentors little brother ran off again, laughing as if nothing peculiar had just occurred. But that was kids for you; they seemed to take everything in their stride. Besides, they were probably used to strange things, seeing as their fathers were both aliens and they had a very green friend. Future Trunks smiled briefly and then turned to his mother and Gohan. They were both smiling at him. Bulma took a step forward and hugged her son.

"It's good to have you back," his mother said again, smiling. Trunks gave her a half-hearted smile. "Come on, lets go back inside. I'm sure everyone's going to want to talk to you about what's happened in the last two years."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Two months passed and as Trunks begun to spend more and more time training outside, he spent less time in Capsule Corp, even after his mothers insistence that his training regime was shifted down until it no longer rivalled his fathers. However, Trunks was sure that the clean, fresh air was much more beneficial for him.

"Hey Trunks!"

Trunks turned around and waved at an approaching Gohan. He had started to spend quite a bit of time around the younger half Saiyan since he had been back. Gohan stopped next to Trunks and hovered beside him.

"Hello Gohan, what brings you out here?" Trunks asked.

"I thought I'd visit you and then Bulma said you were training, so I went to find you," Gohan said. "Training again?"

Trunks nodded.

"What can I say, I'm Vegeta's son," Trunks joked. Gohan crossed his hands over his chest, suddenly looking quite solemn.

"You know, you've never really told us what happened in the future. You just glossed over it," Gohan said. Trunks' eyes darkened and he looked away.

"It's because I don't really want to talk about it."

"You did beat the Android's and Cell though, didn't you?" Gohan asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Then what's the matter? Shouldn't it all be getting better there now?" Gohan said, a small frown decorating his features. Trunks sighed.

"Yes Gohan, the worlds recovering now, after all that damage that's happened. But I couldn't live there anymore," Trunks said, softly. He hung his head, the soft lavender locks swinging down around his face. The grass was an awful lot greener than anything he had ever seen in his world, not so marred by scorch marks.

"What do you mean? Why?"

Trunks clenched his jaw and chanced a sideways glance at the demi-Saiyan. He was looking at him with a mixture of childish innocence and determination.

"I came back too late Gohan. I came back too late to save my mother," Trunks said quietly. "I came back too late before they destroyed my mother. It's my fault I wasn't there to stop it happening."

"I didn't know.... I'm sorry," Gohan said. The ground crunched as Gohan took a step forward towards him.

"Its not your fault. You weren't there. it's those Androids who did it!"

Gohan was frowning and shaking his head.

"But I should have been there to stop it," Trunks replied. "And if you don't mind, I would rather talk about something else please."

"You've changed Trunks, since you've been back."

Gohan didn't sound accusing or in any way angry, he was speaking as if he was saying a fact. Without looking at him, Trunks replied.

"So have you."

"How do you mean?" Gohan, his tone changing in an instant, sounding genuinely curious.

"I noticed it a bit just before I left... and it's even more now," Trunks started. "You miss your dad don't you?"

Gohan's face visibly hardened and after a moment, he slowly nodded his head.

"It might not be my place... but I don't think Goku would want you to dwell on him. He's happy, and you should be too," Trunks said. When he noticed that, if anything, Gohan's expression became even darker and more upset, he added, "But that's not it, is it?"

"It's...its my fault he's dead," Gohan said shortly. "H- he shouldn't have died... if I hadn't let my power go to my head, dad wouldn't have sacrificed himself, and he wouldn't have the choice to stay dead. He would still be with us and mum and Goten. Mum doesn't think I've seen her cry over dad, I mean really cry for him, but I do... it's my fault Goten's grown up never even meeting his dad."

Trunks couldn't help it. He blinked and gaped at the boy in front of him, whose usually warm friendly eyes were filled with anger and hatred. Shaking himself out of it, he closed his slack jaw.

"Wow Gohan... this has been building up for a while, huh," Trunks said, scratching the back of his head. He had suspected that Gohan had been harbouring some guilt over Goku's death, but never to this extent. "Gohan, you've got to understand it isn't your fault."

"I shouldn't have been so stupid and arrogant; I should have just killed Cell when I had the chance. Dad even told me to do it, and I just ignored him!" Gohan said through gritted teeth. He seemed to be struggling to control his temper.

"That's the Saiyan pride rearing it's ugly head Gohan, you can't blame yourself for that. Besides, everyone makes mistakes." Trunks said.

"But not everyone's meant to be the strongest guy in the universe, I can't afford to make mistakes. Whenever I'm involved in fights, people always die because of me," Gohan replied. Gradually, Gohan's voice was getting darker and darker.

"Where did you get that?"

Gohan looked at Trunks shrewdly.

"Well, Piccolo sacrificed himself for me when Nappa should have killed me, and then Dad did against Cell and-"

"Gohan, you can't blame yourself for everything," Trunks said, sounding acutely horrified. Gohan looked at Trunks sadly.

"Even you," Gohan said finally. "If I had beaten Cell in the first place, he wouldn't have had the chance to kill _you_."

Trunks stared at Gohan blankly.

"What are you talking about? It was Cell that did that, not you," Trunks insisted.

"But if-"

"There are so many ifs I can hardly count them, you can't dwell on ifs all your life, you can't change things that have already happened," Trunks said, waving a hand.

"But you did. You changed the past."

"And what did I learn from that? That Goku was going to die anyway, even if this time it was a different way. I know it sounds horrible, but I think it was just Goku's time to die." Trunks paused as Gohan flinched horribly. "I'm sorry. But it's like Goku said, he's done so much good in this world-"

"Then why did he have to go? Why did he stay dead! We need him! I need him!"

"I know it feels like that right now," Trunks started. "But you have to understand. This is what your dad wanted. He's never happy when he's not heading into a new adventure. He wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

Gohan stayed quiet, a stubborn, angry look marring his features. In that moment, he looked just like the future counterpart of Gohan he knew so well. Trunks swallowed and looked away.

"Gohan it shouldn't matter what happened, or how it happened. It just did and there's no point dwelling on it, it's not going to change what happened," Trunks said softly. "You just need to think about the future, about your mother and that little brother of yours. They'll need you, particularly Goten. You need to teach Goten the ways of a Saiyan, how Goku would have. He needs that. He needs you to tell him stories about his dad and all the adventures he got up to."

"It won't be the same," Gohan said, his voice distant and tight.

"Nothing will," Trunks said simply. He put a hand on Gohan's shoulder as a sign of comfort. "But it'll be something."

"What about you Trunks?" Gohan asked suddenly.

"What do you mean? What about me?" Trunks asked.

"About the guilt and your mother..."

"It's completely different Gohan," Trunks said, his voice coming out much harsher than he intended.

"Is it?"

Trunks caught Gohan's eye and saw the utter sincerity within them.

"You know Gohan; I don't think either of our problems will get sorted in any short way. It seems, for both of us, time will be the best thing. And for you not to blame yourself," Trunks said finally.

"And you too Trunks," Gohan replied, giving him a small smile. Trunks returned it, ruffling Gohan's hair. He was very different to the Gohan he knew, it seemed almost impossible to think of them as the same person. He observed the young half Saiyan in front of him for a moment.

"You're different Gohan. You don't fight for the thrill of it, to push yourself to the limits, like your dad, or to win and become the most powerful like my dad. You only fight as a last resort. You'll always try to stop that side of you, the side of you that wants to fight. The Saiyan side of you."

"It feels like I'm being pulled in two directions sometimes...like with Cell..."

"I know Gohan, but I think you need to find a balance," Trunks explained."You're, we're both have two natures fighting it out inside of us... human and Saiyan."

"How have you done it?"

"I haven't yet... unlike you, my Saiyan side seems to be more dominant, which unfortunately means I end up with a lot more physical damage, and neglect to family and friends," Trunks said, letting out a short burst of laughter which sounded fake even to his own ears. He stopped as he saw Gohan's guilty expression.

"Well, you won't have to fight anymore. If anything comes along, the worlds got me, my father, and probably even little Trunks and Goten in a few years. There are still plenty of fighters around to cause some serious damage... if need be, although I don't think anything else will be around for a good while. I promise," Trunks said, his tone touching upon humour.

"Thanks Trunks... I haven't trained ever since... I just can't," Gohan said, shaking his head. "Whenever I try to, it makes me remember dad and-"

"Hey, don't worry about training or anything, concentrate on what you love. You deserve it," Trunks assured him. He felt like this was a conversation long overdue.

"I haven't even gone super Saiyan since then," Gohan whispered, his tone suggesting he felt it was a very dirty secret.

"What? Really?"

Trunks was caught off balance. Even though he understood he want to not spar anymore... turning super Saiyan was different, it was just natural. Sometimes, Trunks even did it without noticing. Was Gohan really trying to suppress that half of himself _that_ much? Gohan nodded his head.

"Yeah. I just don't want to anymore. I don't want to think about it," Gohan said, looking around.

"Well, it's up to you, but if I were you, I wouldn't completely abandon your Saiyan heritage. it's still half of who you are, and fighting it will only result in...well, I'm not sure what it'll result in, but it probably won't be good. Just, give it a bit of time," Trunks said. Gohan smiled properly for the first time since he visited Trunks; that bright and shinning grin with was unmistakably Gohan's.

"Thanks Trunks," he said. Trunks smiled at him.

"No problem."

"I was thinking, would you like to come round for dinner in a bit? I'm sure mum won't mind seeing you and Goten has taken to you," Gohan said. Trunks hesitated for a moment.

"I don't want to impose or anything...." Trunks started, only for Gohan to cut him off.

"Don't be silly! Of course you're not!"

"Well if you're sure then, I'd love to."

"Yeah, it'll be great! I'll race you!" Gohan said, his features lighting up. His expression had suddenly become a lot more carefree, something he had obviously inherited from his father.

"Yeah okay, but I'll win!" Trunks teased him. Gohan stuck his tongue out at him.

"No way! You're going down Trunks!"

In a flash of white light, the two half Saiyan's raced off into the distance, their hearts feeling much lighter than before. Neither of them did really care who won.

--

"Oh Bulma, it's so lovely to see you looking so well!" Summer chirped, revealing perfectly straight and gleaming white teeth as she smiled, her laugh sounding like glass tinkering. She bent forward to retrieve her glass of wine, holding it carefully between two fingers. She was wearing a modest blue dress and a gold necklace which reeked of wealth.

"Yes, it's been too long," Daisy added, taking a sip from her glass.

"I'm sorry girls but everything's been so busy around here lately," Bulma replied.

"So... where's the man of the house," Summer asked casually, winking. "I still can't believe we haven't met him!"

"I know!" Daisy added in, her voice excessively high pitched as she swung her arm around, causing the liquid in the glass to slosh around and almost slip clean out. Bulma smiled, which looked more like a grimace.

"Well, Vegeta isn't very sociable," Bulma said.

"So? We should meet him!" Daisy announced.

"I don't think that would be the best idea," Bulma said, picking up her own glass only to distract herself a bit and give her a reason to stop talking.

"Why ever not?"

Bulma took her chance and took a liberal sip of her drink, taking as long as possible to swallow it as she tried to formulate something to say.

"Well, he just doesn't talk much," Bulma said. "He's very busy most of the time."

"Well I think he's just being a little shy," Summer said. "You should drag him out of here to meet us."

It was a good thing Bulma wasn't taking a sip from her drink, or she would have spat it all out. The image of her trying to get Vegeta to do anything was laughable.

"I don't think he'd appreciate that in the slightest," Bulma replied dryly. Yeah, he'd probably another blow another hole or two in the house.

"I think I prefer that other boy..." Daisy said, looking like she was thinking intently. Then she snapped her fingers. "That Yamcha fellow, whatever happened to him? He was nice and polite. This guy just sounds rude."

Bulma tried to inconspicuously rub the bridge of her nose, trying to pass it off as a scratch. She wasn't in the mood to be grilled about her love life. Just as she thought she'd probably have to answer, she heard footsteps approaching and then the door opened. A young man with lavender hair and blue eyes walked in. He had an almost cold expression on his face, the expression Bulma had now grown to associate with what Trunks would do before going to train with his father. Then he walked from the living room and she knew he was heading towards the Gravity Room. Up until recently, Trunks had been training mostly on his own, but one day Vegeta announced that he wanted to train his older son as well, much to both Trunks' surprise. Bulma turned back to her friends. They both bore expressions of curiosity and confusion.

"Who was that guy? He looked familiar. Is that this Vegeta guy?" Summer asked. Bulma shook her head.

"No, that's not Vegeta, its..." Bulma hesitated, wondering whether she should tell them who he really was. "Well, you may not believe it, but that's Trunks. He's from the future."

She received blank looks from her friends.

"Sure Bulma, that's your son," Daisy said. "And time travels possible."

"No it's true! it's him! Didn't you recognise the hair and the eyes?" Bulma insisted.

"Now that you think about it, they did look quite similar," Summer said. "If you forget the twenty or so years age difference."

"I knew you would understand!" Bulma said happily. She felt a lot better now that her friends knew about Trunks, she would have someone else to talk to about it.

"Then what's he doing here?" Daisy asked.

"Oh it's a long and very boring story," Bulma assured them. "More wine?"

"Oh yes please!" the two friends called out. Bulma smirked, happy she was able to divert the story from that of the events that surrounded her son. Even she wasn't totally sure about what happened. For the next few hours, the three women chatted merrily about everything and anything. Not seeing each other for a while was the cause of that and Bulma did miss the company of her friends. Bulma suddenly heard noises and a door open and her ears perked up. She glanced over to the doorway and a minute later, saw her older son stumble into the room. He was sporting a couple of bruises on his face and seemed to be limping a bit, but otherwise, he looked happy enough. In fact, he was smirking. The girls beside her gasped in shock.

"Oh my! What's happened to you?" Summer cried. Bulma stood up and walked over to her son.

"Are you okay kiddo?" Bulma asked in an undertone. "Vegeta wasn't too rough on you today?"

Trunks gave Bulma an astounded look.

"To be honest mum, I don't want him to be nice on me, and he was fine," Trunks said. "Although, remind me never to insult his height again."

"Is that when he gave you that?" Bulma said, pointing at his face.

"Oh no, that was from earlier. When I accidently insinuated that he was quite short, he kicked me out the room. Quite literally," Trunks replied, smirking.

"Well no more training for you today! You're going to have a rest for the rest of the day and that's final!" Bulma announced. Trunks looked shocked.

"What?"

"You heard me, no more training," Bulma told him. Then she turned swiftly around to join her friends. She gave him one more pointed look and Trunks' shoulders slumped slightly and he looked defeated. Bulma just smirked.

"Okay," Trunks replied, sounding like his birthday had just been cancelled. He was now bearing a sulky expression which Bulma was surprised to recognise from both her younger Trunks and his father. She smiled. I _just love bossing my boys around. Besides, Trunks needs to have a break, he hasn't stopped in...well I can't remember whether he's even had a break. _Just then, much to Bulma's utter amazement, another figure appeared from the doorway, his head held high and his expression haughty. Vegeta was dressed in his usual Saiyan armour and made a beeline straight to Trunks, ignoring everyone else in the room. The two girls beside her started to giggle and whispered.

"Wow, he's cute! Look at those muscles!"

Bulma allowed herself for a moment, to look at the prince. He hadn't moved from the Gravity Room in a couple of days, probably grabbing food at the dead of night when everyone was asleep.

"Isn't he going to come over and say hello?" Summer asked. Bulma smiled a little and then shook her head.

"No, he won't," Bulma said, in a tone that meant there was no other alternatives. She was listening to the conversation between Vegeta and Trunks.

"Okay, okay I won't insult your height anymore," Trunks said, keeping his face deadly serious. "I'm sorry. You're not _that_ short."

"You'd better not brat or you'll be sorry," Vegeta snarled in a face that would make the most courageous man faint with terror. Trunks raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Sorry, I don't know what got into me," Trunks said apologetically. "Really."

Vegeta glared at his son and for a moment it looked like Vegeta was going to punch Trunks as he clenched his fist. Then he turned away from his son after giving him one last cold look.

"...seems very rude..."

Bulma only heard the last of the conversation as her attention was distracted by the expression on her sons face. It seemed determined, yet sad in a way, of a deep pain. She wondered what brought that on. It couldn't have just been because of Vegeta.

"Well that's just how Vegeta is. You've got to have quite a hard skin when dealing with him," Bulma said absently.

"But still, talking to him like that and ignoring you," Summer said. "Is he like this all the time?"

Bulma nodded, and for a moment she was confused at the astounded expressions on her friend's faces. Having known Vegeta for years now, it had become natural that he was how he was. He wouldn't be the same if he was nicer or any less proud.

"I wouldn't put up with it! I would tell him whose boss!" Daisy said.

"What? Was it something I said?" Daisy asked when she noticed Bulma and Trunks exchanging amused glances, both trying not to crack up laughing.

"Oh it's nothing," Bulma said. "Trunks, come over here and say hello."

Trunks hesitated and looked for a second, like he would refuse, but under his mothers burning gaze he walked slowly over to them. He stood awkwardly as the two women scrutinised him.

"Well he certainly looks like you Bulma," Summer observed, tipping her head to the side, a small grin framing her face.

"Yeah, it's the same eyes," Daisy added, her eyes sweeping over the lavender haired man. "Wow look at those muscles!"

"Have you got any paper?" Trunks asked suddenly, shifting on the spot.

"Yeah... there's some in the draw over there... and there's some pens as well," Bulma said, pointing. "What do you need them for?"

"Oh I just need to write to someone," Trunks said.

"Is it to a _girlfriend_?" Bulma said teasingly, grinning. Trunks looked at her and she instantly knew she was on the completely wrong course.

"No, it's not."

His tone meant finality and he abruptly walked away from them, evidently to fetch the paper. Once he found some, he smiled weakly at them.

"It was nice to meet you all," he said, nodding his head at them. "I'll talk to you later mum."

With that, he left the house and through the corner of her eye he saw him flew off. She frowned and vowed to ask him in private about the matter with her distant son.

"Well at least he has manners," Summer said, shaking her head.

"Yeah..."

By that point, Bulma was no longer paying attention to what the others were saying, her mind was focused on her troubled son. She needed to help him in any way she could.

---

_Dear Mother,_

_This is the fifth letter I've written to you in this time, one for every week I've been here. it's certainly been different, to say the least. I had to ask you in this timeline today for some paper, usually it's just on the table, but not today. She must have done some cleaning or something. Everything still feels so different here... the people I knew from my time are so different here it's hard to imagine them as the same person. Half the time I don't. Not even mum from this time truly feels like my mum, not a younger version of you, but a completely different person. Many things are still the same, like your sense of humour, well most of the time. But there are subtle differences between you two, little things I miss which were just purely you. I think I was fooling myself, thinking I could have you back. It will never be the same. I'm sorry._

_I've been training quite a bit with dad lately. it's great, he doesn't hold back at all, which I think is the best way for me to train. Holding back doesn't help at all, particularly when you're quite evenly matched. I don't think I'm quite as powerful as dad anymore, he's the more skilled fighter in terms of technique and things like that... what he got from all those years of being well, evil. it's weird to think of him as evil. Yeah, he's mean and rude and arrogant, but not evil. Then again, I can't give that much of an unbiased view, can I? But I'm going off point._

_Gohan's getting better I think. He's better than he was when I first came back, but I can still see the pain in his eyes and the guilt I told him not to feel. It must be hard for him. I want to help him, but I don't know what to do. I feel a sense of duty towards him, after everything his older counterpart did for me. If it wasn't for him, I most certainly wouldn't be alive. I owe him my life and the lives of everyone here in this time._

_I miss you mum. I miss your laugh, your smile, the way you would joke with me and I would tease you back. You were my best friend, my partner in crime. My mother in this time made a joke earlier which reminded me so much of you, it's something you would say. I know it sounds ridiculous, you're the same person. I can't describe it. I'm ashamed to say, I sort of snapped at her because of it. I know mother, I'll apologise to her later about it. it's not her fault, it's all me. sometimes, I wish I could just tell her everything, how different you two are, how much I miss you, how you're dead... but how would I mum? How could I tell her? You'd know what to say if you were here, but then again, if you were I wouldn't want to come back in the first place. Oh my heads still in such a muddle. I'll write soon, but I think I'd better stop now before I start to bore you. _

_Talk to you soon_

_I love you_

_Trunks_

-----

"Trunks?"

Trunks turned around and then tensed up as he saw his mother and Yamcha standing not far from him.

"What are you guys doing here?" Trunks asked. Yamcha looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Thanks for dropping me off Yamcha, you can go if you want," Bulma said as she turned to the man beside her.

"No problem!" Yamcha replied. "See you later guys!"

He waved at the Briefs and then flew off. Trunks watched Yamcha fly off for a moment and then turned to his mother.

"Hey mum, what's up?"

Bulma's face was uncharacteristically solemn as she started to walk towards her son.

"I need to talk to you Trunks," Bulma said. "I've been meaning to have this talk for a while."

"What about?"

"Well... you," Bulma started. "You haven't really told me why you came back. I thought you would be happy to go back there. It is your home after all. And since you've been back here this time you've been really sad. I just want to know _why_."

Trunks suddenly tensed up and turned away from Bulma.

"You can't get away this time, because you know if you do fly away, I'll be stranded here and I won't be happy."

Silence ensued for a few moments as both sides didn't speak, one too stubborn to speak again before the other, and the other unwilling to answer. Finally, the latter gave in.

"I'm sorry mum, about earlier," Trunks said finally. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"When did you snap at me?"

Trunks' cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Earlier today when you asked why I needed paper."

Recognition washed over Bulma's features and she laughed.

"Oh honey, don't worry about it, that wasn't snapping- wait don't change the subject!"

Trunks laughed awkwardly and diverted his eyes from his mother. Then his face turned serious again and he stared at the floor, his mouth a tight ball and his eyes were cold and hard.

"Trunks?"

A moment later, Trunks looked up at his mother, and for a moment, his features softened as he looked at her.

"Okay mum, you win," Trunks said softly. "I didn't want to tell you, but I don't think you'll appreciate me keeping it from you for any longer."

Bulma watched her son pace back on forward, her patience beginning to fray a little.

"You died."

Bulma's jaw hung open as she looked at Trunks with a confused expression.

"Excuse me?"

"When I went back...I was too late," Trunks started quietly. "The Androids had got to you first... they killed you. I should have phrased that better, I apologise."

Bulma was speechless, opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish.

"Wow... I didn't know..." Bulma said finally. "Does anyone else know?"

Trunks nodded.

"Father and Gohan."

"What? You told them two before me?!"

Trunks flinched a little at his mother's yelling.

"Father guessed and well Gohan..." Trunks hesitated, wondering how he could put it, why he did tell Gohan that day. "Gohan, even though it's not the Gohan from my time... he's my best friend. I had to tell him."

"I'm sorry Trunks, I'm just a bit shocked," Bulma said apologetically, moving forward to embrace her son in a hug. "I can't imagine how you're feeling but Trunks, you should know, I'll always be here for you."

"Thanks mum," Trunks replied, returning the hug. His mind wondered to the letter in his pocket. Even though she wasn't the same as the mum who raised him, it was still her and Trunks wouldn't change her for the world. No more words needed to be spoken, Bulma now knew what was up with her son and Trunks had finally told her why, and knew that even though it wouldn't be the same she would still be there.

"So how did you know I'd be here?"

"Well, at first I was just going to go off on my own in a car and have a guess where you are... but then Yamcha turned up and I demanded that he take me to you," Bulma replied. "He said he could sense your energy."

"Oh yes, I forgot," Trunks replied, feeling quite stupid for a moment.

"So what do you say kiddo? Why don't we go back home and watch a movie together or something and chat?" Bulma said, nudging her sons side with a playful expression on her face.

"Sure, that would be great," Trunks said, smiling. "But what about your friends? Those two women?"

"Oh Summer and Daisy went home. I think Vegeta scared them a bit. When Yamcha arrived, he used his normal greeting he does with him. You know, throwing a couple of energy balls out the window," Bulma said. "Even though I told him to not do stuff like that Yamcha, _particularly_ when there's company."

"Well that's dad for you," Trunks replied. "He's never really taken to anyone here, Yamcha in particular."

"So are you ready to fly us home?" Bulma said. Trunks nodded and carefully picked up his mother and together they flew home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Fierce crystal-blue eyes glared up at the sky, anger swelling in the pit of the purple haired half-Saiyan's stomach. It was almost as if there was something in the air- inexplicitly, everything was annoying him. The incessant bird twittering was threatening to awaken some old Saiyan instincts which told him to burn it to smithereens. How could they be so damn happy all the time? Even the brightness of the sky made him scowl.

"Where the hell do you think you were flying off to, brat?"

Trunks didn't move. He would recognise that gruff voice anywhere.

"Hello father," Trunks said, not turning to face him. The two stood in silence for a moment; Trunks still didn't turn around to face him. Trunks was annoyed at himself for not noticing the energy signature which approached him, no matter how well the man managed to hide it. Eventually, Trunks turned to face him, blue eyes meeting black.

"What are you doing here?"

Politeness and niceties were wasted on Vegeta, so Trunks had chosen to treat his father however he liked. A vein in the side of his father's face swelled and his jaw visibly clenched.

"I came here," Vegeta said sounding quite like he was bored. "To challenge you to a fight. I could do with the laugh."

Not breaking eye contact with the man, Trunks tightened his fists.

"No."

He felt his father's energy level flare up for a second.

"What do you mean _no_?"

Trunks folded his hands over his chest and shook his head, his eyes glaring at his father.

"I don't want to fight," Trunks said, holding his head high. He could tell his father was getting agitated and he had to admit, he enjoyed it.

"Damn it kid, where's the Saiyan fight in you?" Vegeta growled, his eyes flashing.

"It's gone for a little trip at the moment, please call back for it later," Trunks said coolly.

WHAM!

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me like that!"

Trunks staggered in the air, and it took a few seconds to stabilise himself again. He touched his cheek. It hurt. Vegeta looked furious- the short fuse of his temper clearly snapped.

"That wasn't very nice," Trunks replied, rubbing his jaw. He didn't drop his gaze from his father, and kept his features emotionless, but perhaps it came out with a slight smirk. After a moment, Vegeta smirked.

"You've definitely got to work on my expression, son," he said, crossing his hands over his chest. Trunks raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"So are you going to fight or not? I never thought _you_ would be so scared of losing that you wouldn't even attempt at fighting. You've spend too much with Kakkarots brat, you've gone soft," Vegeta taunted him. Trunks clenched his fists. In one swoop, Vegeta was insulting his mentor and his friend.

"Fine," Trunks replied. "It's been a while since I've had a proper fight."

Vegeta smirked.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you because you're my son."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

Trunks wasn't like Gohan, he loved to fight, and no matter how many times he sparred with his father, he never got bored. As he stood facing his father, seeing him smirking, a thought occurred to him. Fighting was the only thing Vegeta knew. He was one of the last people of a race, and fighting was the only thing that connected him to his past. The only thing he had left. He smirked. Although he wasn't originally in the mood to fight, seeing the sheer determination in his father's proud face and the feeling of anticipation and excitement coursing through his veins made him feel that there was nothing he'd rather do.

Immediately, his father began an attack, throwing a hard punch at Trunks which he narrowly missed. They exchanged blows, each more furious and powerful than the last. Each move felt natural, sparring with his father always felt that way, in spite of his frequent jabs that his moves were just like 'Kakkarot and his spawn, and that annoying Namek.'

Punch. Jab. Block.

"Come on, surely you can do better than this!" Vegeta taunted him, launching himself backwards and then firing an energy attack directly at Trunks, who crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to block it. Both of them knew they were just toying with each other- neither of them had even gone Super Saiyan yet, but it felt exhilarating all the same for Trunks. The only way he could relate to his father was through trying to beat him to a bloody pulp. Trunks smirked and returned the favour with his own energy attack, which his father literally forced over his.

"Fine," Trunks replied, instantly powering up. His father followed suit a moment later and the two Super Saiyans immediately began to battle again at a much faster rate than before. As they fought, Trunks remembered back to when they were training in the hyperbolic time chamber, how his father had refused to even acknowledge his existence, let alone challenge him to a 'friendly' sparring session.

"Do you even notice when you're hurting Trunks?"

The question came so out of the blue that Vegeta faltered a little, but he continued to battle his son savagely.

"What did you say brat?" Vegeta growled through gritted teeth.

"I said, do you ever notice that when you're training little Trunks, you're actually hurting him?"

Annoyance flickered over Vegeta's features, but this time he didn't falter.

"Isn't that the point, stupid? How are you meant to train without getting hurt?" Vegeta snarled, not pausing between his words. "He should be able to handle it. Anyway, why should I care?"

Just then, Trunks landed a blow directly on Vegeta's left cheek. Vegeta growled and raised his knee so it came into direct contact with Trunks' stomach and taking advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration, his elbow hit his back and Trunks started to shoot towards the floor, however, before he touched the ground, Trunks' rocketed back it and directly in to Vegeta. Then he moved away from him, so the two of them were standing about ten feet away from each other.

"No I mean _really_ hurt him," Trunks spat, a sudden flash of rage rushing through him."You'd probably end up killing him if we left you alone with him too long."

Vegeta looked absolutely furious.

"Don't be so ridiculous!" Vegeta said. "He may be an annoying, weakling brat, but he's still a Saiyan!"

"Oh for a second there it sounded like you actually cared," Trunks retorted. Vegeta scoffed.

"I think moving through time has damaged your brain."

"I'm thinking perfectly clearly," Trunks said, digging his hands into his pockets as he observed his father. He swore that for a moment, when Trunks said he might actually kill him, he looked hurt. Had anything changed since the first time they met? Was he still as cold hearted as he was back then? He was still living with them even after all these years. That had to mean _something_...

"Well well, I never thought _you_ would become a slave to your weak emotions," Vegeta smirked, noticing his son's inner conflict. As Trunks looked at Vegeta, he could feel that there was something very subtly different about Vegeta. Trunks gave up and slumped his shoulders.

"Okay," Trunks said quietly, hanging his head. "You win."

Before Vegeta was able to respond, Trunks had already flown away, clearly wanting to be away from the Saiyan prince. Even though he had to grow up with no father, little Trunks had to deal with putting up with him and constantly trying to impress him. At that moment, Trunks couldn't think who was better off.

A week passed, and although nothing had been directly discussed between Trunks and his father; some sort of unspoken agreement had passed between them. Trunks had even begun to spend more time with his father when he was training his younger counterpart. It surprised him no end the sheer determination that shone in the young boy's eyes as he trained. After that day where he fought with his father; Trunks had discovered a little clearing next to a lake that was immensely peaceful and had begun to go down there to cool off. Currently, he was sitting cross-legged, contemplating whether to meditate. His train of thought was broken as a familiar presence appeared.

"Hey Gohan," Trunks said without looking around.

"Hi, Trunks."

The young Saiyan came to sit next to Trunks beside the lake. They both stared out into the peaceful lake, neither speaking. But finally, something that had been sitting in Trunks burst out.

"Why the change, Gohan?" Trunks asked quietly. "Before I left, you _seemed_ happy. You were cheerful. Was that all an act?"

Gohan looked shocked for a moment, but then looked at the floor, shaking his head.

"No, I have to admit, just afterwards, I was happy. For the first time in years, the world was at peace. No Frieza, or Androids or Cell. After talking to dad, I thought he was happy, so I should be happy, you know?"

"Yeah, but what changed?"

Gohan hesitated for a moment and his brow crinkled into a frown.

"After a while... it really set in that dad was dead... I mean, he's been away before and even died before, but he always came back... but he wasn't... isn't going to come back again. Then just before Goten was born, it hit me. He would never see his father, and it was my fault... if I hadn't..."

Gohan stopped and shook his head. Trunks frowned, perplexed about his friends mixed feelings. Somehow, it seemed that just being near Goku always made everyone feel better; it certainly felt that way when they talked to him when he died, and he definitely felt a shift in attitudes when they first met and Goku crash landed on earth again. There was just something about that man that seemed to make everything alright... Trunks abruptly stood up.

"You know, Gohan, I think it's time we paid Dende a little visit," Trunks announced. Gohan looked at him oddly.

"What are you talking about? I visited him last week," Gohan said, scratching his head.

"Just follow me," Trunks told him, reaching out his hand to help his confused friend get up, and after a bit of convincing, the two began to fly off. He wasn't sure whether his plan would work, but it would be worth a shot anyway.

"Oh hello, Trunks. Hiya, Gohan," Dende said, smiling warmly as the two arrived.

"Hiya Dende! How have you been?" Gohan asked.

"I'm fine thank you Gohan, and yourself?" Dende replied. As Gohan opened his mouth to reply, Trunks cut it.

"He's been better, that's why we're here," Trunks said. Gohan frowned at Trunks.

"What's up, Trunks?" Dende said, looking quite perplexed.

"Well... is it possible Gohan could talk to Goku for a short while-"

"What? Is that what you've been planning Trunks?!"

Trunks winced and tried to ignore the clearly shocked Demi-Saiyan.

"Anyway, I wouldn't ask this usually, but I think it could really help Gohan. I'm sorry, I know it's against the rules, but Gohan needs this more than he would ever admit it," Trunks said, empathising the last part of his sentence. Dende looked thoughtful.

"Well, usually it would be against the rules, but seeing as Gohan and Goku have both saved this earth so many times, I think that you should be allowed to break the rules once in a while," Dende said after a moment. He smiled sadly at Gohan, whose jaw had literally dropped.

"Are you serious Dende?" Gohan asked after a minute.

"I don't see why not," Dende replied. "I mean, I am the Guardian of Earth after all."

Gohan looked torn as he gaped at Dende. Dende closed his eyes for a moment, looking as though he was in deep thought.

"Hey King Kai," Dende called out loud once he opened his eyes again.

"Dende? Why are you calling me?"

Trunks vaguely recognised the voice to be of the Kai that Goku had chosen to stay with in the other realm.

"I was wondering if I could talk to Goku... I've got Trunks from the future and Gohan here and I think Gohan would really appreciate talking to him."

Then it sounded like dark mutterings and King Kai's voice spoke out again.

"He's just training at the moment, let me call him over.... GOKU! GOKU GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!"

Trunks glanced at Gohan, who looked strangely terrified, yet amused at the fact King Kai seemed to have forgotten to close the connection while calling for his father.

"Here he is... Goku, Gohan and Trunks want to talk to you."

"Well, Gohan really," Trunks called out to the air, not really sure whether the master would hear him or not.

"Hiya guys!"

Trunks felt his heart lift as the unmistakably cheerful voice of Son Goku resonated over Kami's lookout.

"Hello Goku," Dende called out, looking visibly brighter at the sound of his old friend.

"Hiya Dende!"

"Hello dad," Gohan said weakly after a moment. He looked quite pale but had a faint smile on his face.

"Hello son. How are you?"

"I'm-" Gohan caught Trunks' eye and then hung his head. "Well..."

"What's the matter son?"

He must have noticed that the tone of Gohan's voice had changed drastically.

"I've missed you dad," Gohan said, his voice breaking as he spoke.

"I've missed you too, Gohan."

For a moment, the words just hung in the air. Then Gohan broke the silence.

"I'm sorry."

Pure sorrow wracked the two words Gohan had just spoken and if he wasn't looking down at the floor, Trunks would have been able to say he was most definitely crying. His hands were hanging limp by his sides, even his hair appeared to be somewhat lifeless.

"Hey, what are you sorry about?"

Gohan finally looked up and his eyes were glittering with tears, his face contorted with grief.

"Everything..." Gohan said. "Its all my fault. You dying..."

Goku didn't reply and for a moment, Trunks thought that the connection had been broken, but then Goku's voice sliced through the air with compassion and fierce determination.

"Listen here Gohan, it _isn't_ your fault! You saved the whole world from that monster!"

Gohan clenched his fists and shook his head.

"But if I hadn't been so stupid and let my powers go to my head-"

This time, Goku cut in to Gohan's speech.

"Gohan, don't blame yourself please! I did this of my own free will. I shouldn't have put you in that position in the first place, you were still a child."

Gohan stared up at the sky.

"Why dad, why have you chosen to stay dead? Why didn't you want to come home?" Gohan asked.

There was a pause.

"It's not that I didn't want to come home Gohan, it's because I don't want to put the world, any of you, in danger again because of me being there," Goku said from above. "But you're strong Gohan, you don't need me anymore."

"But I do!" Gohan suddenly shouted. "You're my dad! Goten needs you!"

"Goten?"

"Oh yeah you don't know," Gohan said almost bitterly. "You've got another son."

Once again, the lookout was filled with silence.

"He looks just like you dad... and mum says he acts just like you too," Gohan said quietly. "Do you know how that feels father? Everyday seeing the face of the man it's your fault he died, the man who refused to come back to his family?"

Trunks was taken aback. It was so unlike Gohan to act like this.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know..."

Goku sounded lost and shocked. A moment later, he regained his composure.

"I've heard enough son, I forbid you from blaming yourself!"

Goku's voice was uncharacteristically stern, and Gohan winced under the words.

"Now, Gohan, I'm going to keep in touch with Dende, and if I hear one word from him that you are blaming yourself in any way, I will _not_ be happy. You're my son Gohan, and I love you, I don't want you to hurt like this anymore."

"What's it like up there, dad?" Gohan asked suddenly.

"It's great Gohan, King Kai's taken me to this place where all the dead people train and fight!"

Goku sounded like himself again, excited and cheerful again. A faint smile seemed to grow on Gohan's face.

"Yeah, that must be great for you," Gohan said quietly.

"Hey Gohan, you know even though I'm not physically there, like what I said before, I will always be with you in spirit. You're not alone. You've got mum, Piccolo, Trunks... everyone... don't lock it all up."

"I agree," Trunks added quietly. Gohan looked up and his eyes briefly connected with Trunks'.

"And if you ever need to talk, just ask Dende and I'll be right there!"

Trunks could almost see Goku's carefree, large grin which always accompanied those words.

"Thanks dad," Gohan replied, looking slightly brighter.

"And Gohan, keep training, it's good for you. Even though I hope you'll never have to use it again, it will still help you."

Gohan looked resolutely up at the sky, his eyes set in fierce determination. He nodded his head slightly.

"Okay dad."

"You'll be alright Gohan, just make sure you listen to your mum and keep on with your studies, okay?"

"Yes."

"Well I think I should-oh sorry King Kai!"

For a moment, silence enveloped the area, and then Goku's voice appeared again.

"Well Gohan, I think I should go now. You'll be okay, won't you?" Goku's voice was filled with concern and love and Trunks couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah dad I will," Gohan replied, his voice breaking a little again.

"Well... send my love to your mum and... Goten for me. And tell mum that I'm sorry."

"I will dad. I love you," Gohan said, tears visible in his eyes again, although at the same time he was starting to smile.

"Well, I'll see you guys... oh yeah, Trunks how come you're back again? I thought you went back to the future?"

"It's complicated Goku," Trunks said to the sky. "But I think I'm back for good. Hopefully."

"I hope you'll be happy here," Goku said. "Goodbye everyone!"

There was a chorus of 'goodbyes' from Dende, Trunks, Gohan and even Mr Popo as the hero's voice disappeared from the air. Gohan just stood, frozen to the spot, staring at the sky. Trunks could see him mouth the words 'goodbye father' and 'I love you' once more before he fell to his knees. After a moment or two, Trunks started to approach him.

"You're not angry at me are you?" Trunks asked when the boy didn't look up again.

"No, I'm not mad at you Trunks," Gohan said quietly, his voice muffled. He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Thank you."

"Anytime Gohan. I hope it helped," Trunks said. He turned around. "Thanks Dende."

"Are you alright Gohan?" Dende asked, tentatively walking over to his friend. Gohan looked up and smiled.

"Yeah, I think I am Dende," Gohan said, getting to his feet. He slowly walked over to Trunks. His expression seemed so much more serene and relaxed than Trunks had seen since he came back.

"Are you ready to go home Gohan?" Trunks asked after a minute.

"Yeah."

Gohan turned to smile at Dende, and then Mr Popo. Then the two half-Saiyan's waved and then jumped off the edge, flying off into the distance. For a while, the two just flew side by side, in silence.

"So what are you going to do now?" Trunks asked. Gohan's brow furrowed and Trunks knew that Gohan understood that he wasn't just talking about if he was going home or not.

"I'm not sure yet. I've still got some thinking to do," Gohan said slowly, looking out ahead of him. He had his hands crossed over his chest. Trunks opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again. There was nothing more he could say.

"Are you going back to Capsule Corp now?" Gohan asked.

"I think I'm gonna train for a bit," Trunks said. Gohan laughed.

"Do you ever stop?" Gohan teased him. Trunks chuckled good-naturedly.

"What can I say, it's become a bit of a habit," Trunks said, his smile faltering for a moment as he remembered all those years of battling the Androids.

"Are you alright Trunks?"

Trunks jumped out of his reverie by the boy next to him. He glanced at him and tried to smile, but Trunks knew it looked false.

"Yeah, I'm fine Gohan, don't worry about me," Trunks said. He looked around. "Well, I think this is my stop."

"It is?"

Gohan looked visibly upset. The two stopped in mid air, and Trunks placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder.

"I'll talk to you later, yeah?" Trunks said, feeling a lot calmer now he had something to distract him. Gohan looked solemn and nodded his head.

"Of course. Take care of yourself Trunks," Gohan said.

"You too," Trunks replied. "And give my regards to your mother and brother."

"I will," Gohan replied, smiling. A moment later, he turned round and shot off, slowing down for a moment to wave. Then he was gone.

"Well, I have a bit of work to do," Trunks said to himself, preparing to warm up. He instantly transformed and then started to kick and punch the air in rapid progression, trying not to let his mind wonder too much on what Gohan had just said. Perhaps he was slightly obsessed with training, but it was all for a good cause...

Hours later, as the sun had just began to set, the lavender haired boy stumbled back to his family where he got yelled at by his mother for missing lunch, jumped on by his younger counterpart for what he had done that day, and dragged into the Gravity Room for a spar with his father. It was only until late that night that Trunks was left alone with his thoughts, his head filled with thoughts about the Gohan he had grew up with and the differences between them, wishing at that time that he could see his old mentor for some advice.

-----------

"Hey Trunks," older Trunks beckoned his younger self over to him, and the smaller lavender haired boy wondered over to the older boy with a puzzled look.

"Yeah big me?"

Trunks smiled slightly at the nickname little Trunks called him.

"Well, I just want to say well done with all your training," Trunks told him. "You're getting very strong."

His younger selves face lit up and became animated.

"You think so?"

Trunks nodded. A huge smile grew on the young boys face.

"Will I be as strong as you when I'm older?" he asked, jumping up and down, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Trunks nodded his head.

"I bet you will, probably even stronger if you keep going the way you're going!" Trunks said. It was true, little Trunks was fighting very well for his young age and if he did keep going the way he was going, there seemed to be no reason why he couldn't be. Little Trunks' face suddenly became downcast.

"Dad doesn't think so," he said mournfully. Trunks couldn't help but feel very sorry for the boy. He too had to fight for his father's affections and found it immensely draining and depressing, and he was so much older than this Trunks. He knew that it should have really been Vegeta encouraging Trunks, but seeing as the prince was too arrogant and proud to do so, Trunks would just have to try and fill in.

"Dad does care, he just doesn't show it," Trunks said after a moment. Little Trunks looked at his doubtfully. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. When I came back the first time, he didn't even seem to notice I was there, but when I got-"

Trunks stopped right before he said died, realising that saying to himself that he died could cause quite a bit of distress. Hearing that yourself, albeit one from an alternative future, has died before, could be quite upsetting for the young child.

"When I got hurt, dad protected me. Even though he doesn't show it, he is proud of you and he does care for you and mum."

Although Trunks did still look a little sceptical, he did look slightly more hopeful.

"Dad did that?" He asked. Trunks nodded.

"Yes. Just, don't push yourself too hard with training, do as much as you can," Trunks told him. "You're still a kid, plenty of time to become the best in the world later. Just enjoy yourself."

Trunks grinned broadly.

"Thanks!"

Then the boy ran off, and Trunks chuckled. He had to admit, although the boy was different to how mum describes himself at that age, the changes were only slight. The features that Trunks got from his father were much more prominent and emphasised in this one; he was much louder and sneakier, as well as possessing that Vegeta-smirk and attitude. It was funny how much Vegeta affected him even though the only type of parenting he seemed to participate in was fighting with him. Then again, being in peace time was probably a bit factor, plus having the fun-loving Goten as a playmate. Trunks had no doubt that he would grow up to be very different to himself, and although they would look like twins, their personalities and life experiences would differ immensely.

"TRUNKS!"

"YEAH?" two voices called out in answer to their mother.

"Sorry! Little Trunks, come here! You need to take a bath!"

Trunks grinned at the fallen face of his younger self.

"Tough luck bro, she'll probably use the new bubble bath I saw her buy. The smelly one," Trunks said, unable to stop himself teasing his younger self. Once every little while, Bulma liked to give her son a nice bubble bath to 'relax.' It completely infuriated Vegeta that his son was forced to take a bubble bath, but had yet to able to stop them. Trunks pouted, contemplating flying out the window he was eyeing, but finally then decided against it. Slowly, he began dragging his heels towards the bathroom, grumbling and muttering under his breath. Trunks chuckled and then went to the kitchen, throwing himself on the sofa and turning the telly on. He had had enough of training for the day, he was going to spend the day relaxing and perhaps helping his mother at work after she finished bathing Trunks. He missed helping his mother with her new inventions; it had been a long time since he had done so. He was sure his mother wouldn't mind; it probably got quite lonely for her.

"MUUUUM!! THAT STUFFS ALL GIRLY! IT'S NOT FAIR!"

"_Don't talk back at me like that young man! This is for your own good! Your muscles are very tense and need to relax, so sit down and stop moaning!_"

Trunks could only hope that he too wasn't subjected to such a thing when he was a child, and laugh at the well-intentioned, yet dreaded acts of his mother.

Authors Notes: Please review!!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

If anyone in the streets cared to look, they may have glimpsed a blue and purple blur whoosh along the streets of Satan city, finally stopping between the gaps of two shops, leaning against the wall heavily, eyes wide open in shock. Never again, would Trunks Briefs be able to look his parents in the eye again. He had been just minding his own business, coming back to his home, when it happened.

In the sitting room.

Yuk.

He knew he wanted to know that his parents loved each other, but...

Hitting his head on the wall behind him repeatedly (and causing a small earthquake in the process) Trunks tried to remove the images from his brain.

Trunks had been coming back from spending the day at Gohan's, when something made him stop dead at the doorway of the living room. In full view, right in the middle of the room, were his parents. Bodies pressed together, they were kissing passionately, their hands.... everywhere. And his father seemed to be a very will participant. Whilst Trunks was still frozen to the spot, they broke apart.

"What the hell are you doing women?"

Bulma had smirked, her hands on the hips.

"Well you seemed to enjo-TRUNKS!?"

All the people in the room jumped and blushed furiously.

"I-I thought you were out all day..." Bulma said after a moment, stuttering. She looked awfully embarrassed and had unconsciously begun pulling her shirt down in the process. The prince himself did looked embarrassed, but was hiding it better than the others and had crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his son, his face set in quiet dignity.

"I-I- I'm going to meet Gohan!" Trunks said, his voice much higher than usual as he turned round and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!"

Back in the alleyway, the shock was beginning to wear off the purple haired warrior. He couldn't believe how he had just run from the situation. Overreaction was an understatement. Until then, he never really contemplated seriously his parent's relationship, but now... he shuddered. Hearing about it was so very different to actually _seeing_ it. His mother told him that they weren't together long, which was obviously quite different to this timeline... it had been about four years or so and they seemed to have no intentions of breaking up.

Recovering a little, Trunks straightened himself up, looked around and made a beeline towards a small cafe. Ordering himself a coffee, Trunks sat down on one of the flimsy chairs and sighed, letting his mind wander.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

Trunks was startled out of his thoughts by a very pretty young women with large green eyes and fuchsia coloured hair standing next to him. She was gesturing towards the other chair opposite him.

"I don't mind, go ahead," Trunks replied. As she sat down, Trunks allowed his mind to wander to his parents again.

"My names Raine, what's yours?" the girl he now knew was called Raine, asked.

"Trunks."

"Nice to meet you Trunks," she said. "I'm new around here, just moved here yesterday, where do you live?"

Trunks blinked. This girl, Raine, was obviously very chatty and rather loud, having no qualms about beginning a conversation with a complete stranger. She was very pretty though.

"I live in the West City," Trunk said, not really wanting to elaborate at that moment to where exactly.

"Oh wow! Me too!" she said, bouncing up and down on her seat. Trunks couldn't help but smile; the girls' excitement and cheerfulness was quite infectious.

"Would you like a drink?" Trunks asked politely.

"Oh yes please," she replied. "Erm, can I have a cappuccino please."

Trunks smiled at her and then flagged for a waiter, ordering Raine a cappuccino. She then began to talk again, the cheerfulness in her tone flooding over him like a warm bath. He watched as she talked to him, meaningless chatter to fill in the silences. She seemed to be able to quite happily talk enough for the both of them.

"Why are you looking so sad?" she asked, noticing that Trunks wasn't paying that much attention to the conversation at hand. Sure, he had at the beginning, but his attention span was beginning to wane as he once again unwillingly pondered his parents' relationship.

"It doesn't matter," Trunks said, plastering on a grin.

"No, I don't like it when people are sad," Raine persisted. "What's wrong?"

After a few minutes of resisting, with Raine gently poking and coaxing him to speak, Trunks finally relented and told her the embarrassing event he had just witnessed at home. Raine listened with rapt attention.

"What's the problem with seeing your folks kissing?" Raine said when he was finished. She looked genuinely confused, and Trunks was quite surprised at himself for being so open with her. There just seemed to be something about her that made Trunks feel as if he could tell her anything. A kind of innocence and warmth that he wasn't used to feeling.

"It doesn't feel normal for them," Trunks said, hesitating. "My dad... he doesn't ever show any of his emotions or anything."

Raine looked perplexed.

"Sorry, it's hard to explain without knowing my father," Trunks explained.

"Well perhaps we should change that," Raine said teasingly, winking. Trunks couldn't help it. He blushed. "I'm only kidding, Trunks."

Trunks didn't reply, but remained silent.

"You're very quiet aren't you?" Raine said after a moment. "But I like that. You're a strong but silent type."

As if to illustrate that point, Trunks didn't reply, but grinned at her.

"I love your smile, it really suit's you," Raine said. "Or at least, what I know of you."

"You've got a great smile yourself," Trunks said, rewarded with the very smile he was talking about. It was strange how comfortable he was with a girl he had only met half an hour ago. She was just so easy to get along with. Suddenly, Raine jumped up after glancing at her watch.

"Oh my! I've got to go, I'm gonna be late! I'm sorry!" Raine cried. She quickly fumbled in her bag and pulled out a small notebook and a pen, scribbled something down and handed it to Trunks.

"This is my number, call me sometime if you feel like it," Raine said, winking. "I like your company."

"Sure, I will," Trunks said, surprised when he started to stumble a bit with his words.

"Well, I'll talk to you later Trunks, and take care," Raine said, squeezing Trunks' arm gently as she passed.

"Yeah... you two," Trunks said, watching as Raine started to rush away. She stopped for a moment to glance over her shoulder and smile and wave at Trunks. And then, she was gone. As he looked around, he suddenly felt very lonely and looked down at the last dredges of his now cold drink. Deciding to leave the rest, Trunks stood up, feeling lighter refreshed and calm. He couldn't even remember why he was in the city in the first place.

* * *

"Hey is Trunks in?"

"Yeah he is I'll just get him. TRUNKS!"

Trunks jerked out of his slumber at the sound of his name being called, unfortunately losing his footing on the sofa he was napping on and landing head first onto the carpet.

"Ouch!"

Getting up and rubbing his head, he slowly walked towards the door.

"TR- oh there you are."

"Thank you mother for waking me up in such a nice way," Trunks said pleasantly, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh sorry, I didn't realise!" Bulma said.

"It's fine," Trunks assured her. "I'm just messing with you."

Bulma smiled at her son and then moved out the doorway.

"Hey Gohan," Trunks said, stifling a yawn and smiling at the young man at the doorway.

"Hi Trunks. Sorry for waking you up."

"Oh it's no problem, I was just having a quick nap," Trunks said. "What's up?"

"I want to talk to you outside," Gohan said, sounding a little nervous. He pointed his thumb behind him.

"Okay."

Trunks followed Gohan as he flew out into the distance, stopping as they reached the lake the two of them visited often. Gohan landed softly on the grass and Trunks followed suit.

"So how are you?"

"I'm better," Gohan said quietly. "I actually wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot," Trunks said, nodding his head. Gohan hesitated for a moment and then, much to Trunks' surprise, he powered up into a Super Saiyan.

"Do you wanna spar?"

Trunks grinned.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Then he two powered up. Any onlookers may have thought they were twins, and within moments the two were sparring, matching each other's moves with what appeared to be ease.

"Wow Gohan, you really are a little rusty," Trunks remarked dryly as Gohan blocked Trunks' blow to the head.

"Well you would be too if you stopped training for two years," Gohan playfully replied, spinning around and managing to kick Trunks in the side. In response, Trunks sent a blast of energy, which Gohan avoided and returned with his own.

"Yeah like I'd ever do that," Trunks said, snorting. It was different sparring with Gohan, his movements resembled that of his future self but were quite different at the same time. For once, he wasn't sparring to beat the other senseless, but rather as a warm up and re-learning old techniques. He didn't have to worry about hurting the kids when he sometimes sparred with them, and he didn't have fight for his life like he did with his father. It was quite refreshing.

"As ironic as it sounds, but do you feel more human now you're getting back in touch with your Saiyan side?" Trunks said when the duo finally ending their sparring and laid back on the cool grass. Gohan laughed.

"Yeah, I get what you mean. I think I do. I haven't felt so good in ages!"

Trunks propped himself up on one elbow to look at Gohan.

"It'll be good to have someone else to spar with besides my father," Trunks said seriously.

"Yeah, Vegeta doesn't make sparring fun, he takes it way to seriously all the time!" Gohan replied. Then the two of them sat in silence.

"So has anything interesting happened to you lately?" Gohan asked after a little while.

"Well... not much apart from..." Trunks hesitated for a moment. He had realised that he overreacted to seeing his parents kissing and had gone home shortly afterwards apologising to his mother, but felt for a moment a bit reluctant in informing his friend of the event. But his heart gave out in the end and he told his friend everything.

"Really? That's disgusting!" Gohan announced. "I never thought..."

"Me too!" Trunks said feeling quite delighted that someone else shared his sentiments. "And when I told Raine-"

"Who's Raine?" Gohan interjected.

"Oh she's this girl I met in a cafe, she was really nice," Trunks told him. He had been in contact with Raine quite a bit since the previous week, having called her a day later. They were going to meet up later in the week. He couldn't resist telling Gohan a little about her, although he neglected telling him about the phone calls. He felt those were a bit too private.

"She sounds nice," Gohan said after a minute. "Have you told her where you're from?"

"I don't want to scare her. Besides, I think that may take a while to explain."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Telling someone you're from a different timeline doesn't really roll off the tongue," Gohan remarked.

"Or the alien part," Trunks said, half jokingly. "I want to tell her, it's just awkward."

Even though he did feel very comfortable with her, he couldn't help thinking that if he did tell her, the new friendship the two of them shared could be damaged. He felt guilty not telling her, but it couldn't be helped.

"Let's swim Trunks!"

Trunks was taken aback as the young boy beside him pulled out his t-shirt and dove into the water, the splashes reaching Trunks. Gohan's head bobbed up above the water and smiling, he gestured for Trunks to join him. Then, laughing as he did so, he bobbed back down under the water. Trunks snorted and then he too pulled off his top and jumped in the water. It was refreshing and cool, perfect for cooling off after fighting. For a moment, Trunks indulged in the feel of the water cooling his body, but was rudely ripped out of his relaxation by something, or rather someone, yanking at his leg and pulling him under. After a moment of struggling and many bubbles, Trunks burst to the surface again spluttering.

"I'm going to get you for that one Gohan!" Trunks called out as the black haired boys head appeared for a moment above the water.

"You'll have to catch me!" Gohan called out, laughing and then whizzing off. Trunks chuckled and then chased after him, determined to catch Gohan and dunk him too. He didn't care that he was an adult and should probably know better; he had been given another chance at life and perhaps even the childhood he was denied before; and he was going to enjoy it.

"Trunks Brief's where are you sneaking off to?"

Trunks let go of the doorknob and turned around to face his mother. Bulma was standing with her arms crossed over her chest and an eyebrow raised.

"I'm just going out mum, like I always do," Trunks said. He averted his eyes away from his mother.

"Oh don't try to fool me, you're my son and I can tell you're up to something more than just going out to train," Trunks' mother said, smirking. "You're going to meet a girl aren't you?"

Trunks stared at the ground and hoped he hadn't turned red. Suddenly, his mother was beside him and nudging him in the ribs playfully.

"Have you got a girlfriend Trunks?" she said playfully.

"No!" Trunks said defensively. It was true, she wasn't his girlfriend, but he still felt embarrassed.

"Then why are you going red Trunks? Come on, you can tell me..." she coaxed him. Finally, Trunks relented.

"Okay, I am going to meet a girl, but she's _not_ my girlfriend," Trunks said, emphasising the last part of his sentence as his mothers eyes widened and a grin grew on her face. "She is just a friend!"

"But you like her, don't you Trunks," Bulma said teasingly. Trunks blushed again and looked away from his mother.

"Well, I'd better get going mum, or I'll be late!" Trunks said hurriedly, kissing his mother on the cheek and then rushing out the door.

"No wait, Trunks!"

But she was too late, Trunks was already soaring off into the sky, his cheeks still burning.

"Sorry mum! But I have to go!"

He could faintly hear his mother calling out 'bye,' she knew there wasn't any point in yelling at him to come back. He could still feel his cheeks heating up as his mind replayed the conversation over and over again in his mind. He was also thinking about what Gohan had asked, about whether Raine knew where he was from. Could she be trusted with his secret? He had only known her for a month or so, but he felt a connection with her unlike anything he had before. He had a friend, outside of his mothers circle of friends, the first in a very long time.

* * *

"Hey Raine!" Trunks called out as he spotted his pink haired friend. She smiled broadly, rushed over to him and surprised him by pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Heya Trunks, how have you been?" she asked warmly when she let go of him.

"I've been great," Trunks said. "And yourself?"

"I've been wonderful thanks," Raine said. "So what are we going to do today?"

Trunks grinned, a sort of mischievous smile that only seemed to come about on rare occasions, and mostly in the presence of Raine.

"Well, I was thinking we could go to a park I know near here, it's a nice enough day..."

"That's a brilliant idea!" Raine said.

"I thought you'd like it," Trunks replied. Even though he hadn't known her for long, she definitely did seem the type to like picnics and things like that. It turned out he was right.

"I love it!" Raine proclaimed. "So which way?"

Walking at an easy pace, Trunks guided Raine to the park, stopping at a shop for something to eat on the way. (Two cups of coffee and a piece of chocolate cake for Raine) When they reached the large park, (he had flown over it a while ago and thought it looked like quite a nice place to go sometime) Raine immediately ran out onto the grass, laughing like a small child. Trunks couldn't resist laughing, and when Raine sprawled herself across the floor, Trunks joined her tucking his hands behind his head.

"I knew I picked the right person to show me round this place," Raine said. "I know I've been here for a while now, but I still haven't managed to get the hang of it yet, and I haven't seen this park before."

Raine chose then to stay silent for a few minutes, allowing the quietness to wash over them. He could hear children laughing and playing all around him and he could imagine if his mother brought the terrible twosome, more commonly known as little Trunks and Goten.

"What are you hiding under that purple hair of yours, Trunks?" Raine asked softly. Trunks glanced over at her from where he too was sprawled out across the grass.

"What do you mean?" Trunks asked. Raine nudged him playfully.

"You know what I mean," Raine said. she balanced herself on one arm so she could properly look at Trunks. "I know that there's more to you than you've let on, much more. I don't want to pry, but I can tell... that you're not totally happy. If you want to share, I'd be willing to listen."

"I've got a very complicated past," Trunks said slowly. He glanced at her. "More so than most people."

"You've not had an easy life have you?" Raine asked. Trunks shrugged.

"Not really," Trunks said.

"Well at least you're alive," Raine said, her voice still dripping with the happiness that never seemed to leave her. "That's what my dad always says."

Trunks smiled briefly, but then turned solemn again.

"Raine... I have something to tell you," Trunks started softly. He knew he had to at least tell her this, she deserved to know.

"What?"

Trunks took a deep breath.

"I know this may sound unbelievable and you'll probably hate me because of it-"

"It'll have to be pretty bad for me to even consider hating you, Trunks," Raine broke in.

"I'm not-" Trunks stopped, trying once again to formulate the words. "I'm not from this time."

There he said it.

"What do you mean?"

Raine sounded confused, but Trunks couldn't bear to look at her.

"I came here in a Time Machine from an alternate time, the future. I'm sorry,"

There was silence for a moment and Trunks was feeling worse with every minute. She was going to hate him.

"What are you sorry about? This is so cool, your life sounds so much more interesting than mine!"

Trunks snapped his head up and looked at the women beside him. She was smiling more broadly than before at him.

"You're not angry?"

"Angry? Why would I be angry?" Raine asked, nonplussed.

"Because- oh never mind..."

"Wow so you're a time traveller..." Raine said, looking quite mesmerised as she stared at him. "I never really believed it was possible... what's it like going through time?"

Surprised but not unhappy at the reaction of the girl, he thought for a minute.

"It's difficult to describe," Trunks said after a moment. "It was quite painful the first time, but now it's not so much. It feels like you're getting squeezed through something far too small."

"The first time?" Raine asked inquisitively. "How many times have you jumped through time?"

"Lots of times," he admitted, staring up at the sky. That cloud looks a bit like Goku's head... "Too many perhaps."

Silence once again enveloped the couple.

"Why, if you don't mind me asking, did you come back?"

Trunks thought for a moment of what he could tell her. Was he going to tell her everything, about Cell and his Saiyan heritage? No, it was far too soon for any of that.

"It's complicated," Trunks said after a minute. "Where I grew up, people lived in constant terror. I had to warn the past and stop that from happening again."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so nosy," Raine said. "I won't ask you anymore."

"It's okay," Trunks replied, but he didn't elaborate.

"I'm glad you came back though," Raine said after a while. "Otherwise we probably wouldn't have met and I have to say, I enjoy your company."

"Thanks. Me too," Trunks said. "I haven't had many friends before, not of my own at least... that didn't have some connection with my mother."

"That bad huh?"

Trunks nodded his head.

"Yes, it was."

"How old are you? I mean, in this time?" Raine asked.

"I'm four," Trunks replied, ignoring how strange it was to say he was merely four years old.

"I bet you're very cute," Raine teased him. Trunks grinned.

"I'd say more cocky than anything," Trunks replied.

"You cocky? Never," Raine replied, laughing.

"It seems my father has had more of an influence on the younger me than I could have ever thought," Trunks said. "Where I grew up, my father died before I even got a chance to make any memories of him."

"I see."

"I just want you to know Raine... that lots of things have happened in my past... there's a lot of things about me-"

"Everyone has secrets Trunks," Raine said lightly. "Even me. I don't expect you to tell me everything. Take your time and don't stress about it."

Trunks smiled a true smile for the first time in a while.

"Thanks Raine."

"No problem, but could you do me a favour?"

"What?"

"Stop frowning like that, it really doesn't suit you."

Trunks automatically smiled, and she beamed back.

"That's better!" she proclaimed.

"So what do you feel like doing today?"

"Hmm, I don't know," Raine said. "What do you usually do during the day?"

_I usually train. Punch the living daylights out of my best friend or my father._

"Erm, I hang around with my friend Gohan sometimes or my father and younger self," Trunks said.

"You mentioned Gohan before, what's he like?" Raine inquired.

"He's," Trunks paused for a moment, trying to think how to summarise his friend. "He's probably the gentlest person I've ever met."

Raine smiled at him and then looked up at the sky.

"It's so peaceful out here, it's wonderful," Raine said, stretching.

"Mmm." Was Trunks' reply.

"What's the matter, don't you like quiet?"

"I'm not particularly used to it really, I always feel that something's going to happen. Total silence makes me quite nervous," Trunks admitted after a moment.

"Well I love peace and quiet, it gives me time to just relax and think," Raine said, her voice as bright as the sun above them. Trunks didn't respond. Even though he didn't mind it as much with company, he didn't like having spare time just to think. When fighting, whether in an actual battle or training, it banished all other thoughts and demanded complete concentration. But doing nothing just welcomed and beckoned such unwanted thoughts. It made him remember all those times in the past he'd rather not think of.

"Hey, I said no frowning!"

Trunks sighed quietly.

"Sorry, I just can't help thinking about things when we just sit here," Trunks said.

"Well, why don't we change that! I hate it when people look sad!"

Raine bounced to her feet up and then literally _dragged _Trunks to his feet. Surprised and curious, he allowed her to do so. Then she started to run off and after a moment of confusion, Trunks chased after her. She was laughing and although to Trunks, they were moving very slowly, it was still quite exhilarating to feel the wind whip past him.

"Feeling better?" Raine called behind her.

"Much!" he replied. And he did.

"If I brought a ball or something, something to do," Raine said, sighing, when they finally stopped. "I didn't think."

"Oh it doesn't matter," Trunks said.

"So..." Raine said, hooking an arm into his, once again surprising him. "What are your hobbies?"

Although the two had talked frequently on the phone and they knew much about each other's current lives, the conversation of hobbies seemed to have been suspended until they met face to face.

"Well, I enjoy martial arts," Trunks started, suddenly noticing Raine's arm stiffen. "What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, I'm fine," Raine said, waving a hand as if to show her point. "What else?"

"Well..." Trunks wracked his brain to think what else he liked doing. "I like hanging around with friends and-"

There was a crash somewhere just away from the park. Trunks' immediate reaction was to run forward towards the source of the chaos, memories of running towards the fights with the androids destroying cities started to rise forward, but something stopped him. Raine was holding on tightly to his arm.

"What do you thinks happened?" she asked, sounding vaguely concerned.

"I dunno... Hey, can you just wait here for a moment, I just want to check it out for a sec," Trunks told her, and not waiting for a reply, he rushed forward. He followed the noise and was suddenly confronted with a knot of people. He managed to push himself past them and into the middle of the circle.

"Oh hey Trunks!" Yamcha said cheerfully as he recognised the familiar lavender haired guy.

"Oh hi Yamcha..." Trunks said, trying to hide his surprise at finding the ex-bandit in the middle of a crowd. "What are you doing here?"

"I was shopping," Yamcha said, pulling a face. "And I saw some guy trying to steal this ladies purse. So of course I would help her."

"That was good of you. Then what was that loud crash?"

"Oh er-"

Yamcha's eyes wondered over to a dented car not far from him. Trunks snorted.

"Trunks!"

Trunks whipped his head round to see an agitated Raine squeezing her way through the crowd and making a beeline towards Trunks.

"What do you think you were doing, running off like that? That was so rude, and you could have got hurt!" Raine half yelled, looking very annoyed, and very unlike herself.

"I'm sorry Raine-" Trunks was cut off when he heard Yamcha laugh behind him.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Yamcha asked pointedly.

"Oh... Raine this is my friend Yamcha," Trunks said, pointing at the man. "And Yamcha, this is my friend Raine."

"Pleasure to meet you," Yamcha said, smiling at her. Raine beamed back, her mood instantly switching to happy again.

"Nice to meet you too," she replied.

"Wait, where's the thief?" Trunks suddenly asked, looking around.

"Oh er..."

Yamcha once again glanced away, and to the left of him, a man was lying unconscious.

"He's out for the count," Yamcha said bashfully.

"You stopped him?" Raine said, her eyes wide. Yamcha nodded uncertainly. "You must be strong!"

"Well I am _pretty_ strong..." Yamcha said, rubbing his head and smiling smugly. Trunks snorted and after catching Yamcha's eye, Yamcha coughed and gained his composure again.

"But anyway, what are you guys doing here?"

"We just came to hang out," Trunks said. "How have you been?"

"I've been great, what about you?" Yamcha asked.

"I'm alright."

"What about Gohan? How is he hanging up?"

"He's well. I've spent quite a bit of time with him... I think he's finally getting over it all," Trunks said.

"Well that's good. That kid deserves some happiness."

"You seem to be handling this, so we're going to shoot off. I'll talk to you later, come round and visit sometime," Trunks told him, and Yamcha nodded.

"Of course. Bye Raine," Yamcha said, grinning at the girl.

"Bye..." Raine said. Trunks waved and then the two of them made their way through the crowd again.

"Sorry about running off like that, I just wanted to check out what was going on?" Trunks said apologetically. Trunks was surprised when Raine glared at him.

"That's not good enough! Just running off like that!" Raine said, stomping her foot.

"But I just wanted to help-"

"That doesn't matter, I'm not happy about you just running off like that, you could have gotten hurt!"

"Look, I'm fine, let's not ruin the day," Trunks pleaded with her.

"Fine..."

Trunks sighed and then smiled as a familiar grin grew on Raines face again. She attached herself onto Trunks' arm.

"Good. So what do you want to do?"

"Let's get an ice-cream, there's a really cute little shop nearby here, I went there the other day..."

Raines voice was once again animated and cheerful, and Trunks was relieved and surprised at her shifts in moods. Then the two of them walked off down the road, laughing and joking, forgetting quickly the argument and just enjoying each other's company. One day he would tell her, but not yet. Not today.

* * *

Authors notes: Not very happy with this chapter... it feels way too rushed... but I didn't want it to drag on. Might come back and edit this at some point. So what do u think of Raine? Too full on? Too weird? Leave a comment and let me know what you think


End file.
